A Return To Hell
by MUZBNUTS
Summary: The Joker has escaped Arkham and he has one thing on his mind revenge!
1. Default Chapter

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.  
The blonde shook her head and slumped to the floor, having grown tired of pacing her circular cell. She lay her head in her hands, a frustrated groan escaping her lips. Leaning back against the plexi-glass of her cylindrical cell, she realized how ironic it all was. She didn't have to remove her hands from her eyes to be able to see her surroundings. She'd been here a hundred times before. This was her playground. This was Arkham. The non-descript rooms with cylindrical plexi-glass cells in the center, housing the worst of New Gotham's criminal minds, was the workplace of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and the candy store of Harley Quinn.  
Sighing, Harley Quinn leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. How many times had she been here before as Dr. Quinzel, pretending to help, when actually she was really there to pick their minds. To use their knowledge to further the agenda of Harley Quinn - to take over New Gotham and present if to her one true love, the Joker. Harley Quinn had first met the green-haired object of her affection here at Arkham. Then, he had just been one of her cases - she had been plain, simple Dr. Harleen Quinzel back then. A few sessions with the man changed all that. He had a way of making Harleen see things in a new light, making the things he'd done - the crimes he'd committed - seem credible. Over time, she realized she was falling in love with her patient - a realization that both terrified and excited her to no end. She also realized that she was changing as well - her outlook on life had fallen into step with that of the Joker.  
Not understanding how the world could lock up a man as brilliant as her Mr. J, Dr. Quinzel decided that she would be the one to change their minds. But she knew that appealing to the board members at Arkham would be a fruitless endeavor. She would have to break Mr. J out of Arkham and that would take some serious planning. That planning took over 5 years - Dr. Quinzel wanted everything to be perfect for Mr. J upon his return to New Gotham. To that end, she created an alter ego for herself - one that she would go by when dealing with the criminal underground of New Gotham. All that dealt with her in this fashion would know her as Harley Quinn, a tribute to the Joker - harlequin dolls had the same features she had fallen in love with. The white face, the impish look, the twinkle in the eyes - it's what made her want to please him, take revenge on his rivals and present him with a New Gotham that he could call his own.  
And seven years after his incarceration, Harley Quinn had almost achieved that goal. And it all fell into place quite by accident. She'd run into an old schoolmate, Wade Worther, now Wade Brixton, and they had discussed his revenge scheme at length. She'd given him as much assistance as she could in the beginning and sent him off to complete his task. Meanwhile, Dr. Quinzel had been appointed a new patient, one that needed help with anger management - a Helena Kyle. Imagine her surprise and utter glee at discovering that not only had Barbara Gordon been her guardian, but that she was the daughter of Bruce Wayne - AKA: Batman! And later.to discover that she was also Barbara's protégé - Huntress, a superhero in her own right. When Wade's plan failed and he managed to get himself killed, Harley decided she needed an edge. Something to put her on equal footing with the meta-human powers of Huntress. And so she approached a scientist who had been working on the theory of meta-human transference - a theory that had always intrigued her. Dr. Romenic worked wonders in the short time she had given him. He was able to transfer a meta-human's hypnotic powers to herself, making her persuasive nature even harder to resist. Armed with her new abilities, she decided that all she had to do now was get her biggest enemies out of her way. What better way to do that than to turn Helena and Barbara against each other. She had tried to do so on her own - had employed all her special charms and enjoyed doing so. And sometimes, her non-meta tactics worked wonders. Like when she got Helena to reveal the name of Barbara's new beau. That was a priceless bit of information. And once she had the meta-human powers, she was able to turn Helena completely against Barbara. It was a special delight for Harley to get Helena to betray Barbara by giving her the plans to the Clocktower. And even more of a joy once she discovered that Barbara's new beau was there when she arrived. She took a special amount of pleasure killing him.  
  
Harley would have loved to see the look on Barbara's face when she told her that Helena had betrayed her. She would have killed to see Barbara's reaction to discovering that Harley had not only taken over the Clocktower, but had kissed her new love, Jason, before driving a knife into his heart. Harley chuckled at the memory of Barbara's voice on the phone, so sure of herself, so certain of Helena's innocence, until Harley told her about Jason. She had known she had hurt Barbara then - gotten her right down to her core. Somehow, she never believed that her plan could have failed. She found a way to wire the Clocktower to a local satellite and send her hypnotic suggestions to all of New Gotham, driving the entire city mad. Harley had planned to spring the Joker from Arkham and then rule New Gotham by his side. But she hadn't counted on Oracle finding a way to counteract her powers - hadn't counted on being betrayed by her most prize possession, Helena Kyle. It had all gone downhill from there, Oracle and her friends regaining control of the Clocktower with Huntress' help. Harley had actually welcomed the death promised in Barbara Gordon's eyes that night. It would have been better than the hell of realizing she had failed Mr. J, or of Mr. J finding out how miserably she had failed him. Harley banged the back of her head against the plexi-glass cell in anger. But Helena had betrayed her there as well - stopping Barbara just before she committed to the act. Had Barbara killed Harley, it would have driven her over the edge - Harley was certain of that. To kill someone, no matter how much the enemy was despised - that was a big no-no in the superhero handbook. Someone like Barbara Gordon wouldn't have been able to live with that. But Helena had spoiled everything!! Harley pounded her fist on the cell floor. Somehow, some way, Helena Kyle was going to pay for what she had done! They were all gonna pay for what they've done to me and my Mr. J! To make matters worse, the hypnotic meta-human powers she had attained were only temporary. They were gone in a matter of days. She could no longer control the will of mortal man with one look. And now that she was locked away in this cell, she could no longer practice her powers of suggestion on her unsuspecting clients either. A man entered the room which housed Harley Quinn's cell. To the average observer, he was nobody - a cleaner dressed in blue sent to tidy up the room. But as Harley stared at the mole-like features of the slightly stooped cleaner, she realized she knew this man. A twinkle returned to Harley's eyes as she realized that for the first time in a year, things were starting to turn around for her.  
  
* * *  
  
"I can't believe you just did that!" Dinah shouted, laughing, as she ran out of the front entrance of New Gotham High School, tugging her friend along with her.  
"Well, she was hot!" Gabby giggled. "C'mon, admit it. Even you think she's hot."  
Gabby looked at her friend expectantly, eyebrows raised, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She elbowed Dinah and wagged her eyebrows, causing Dinah to burst into peals of laughter.  
"Okay, okay!" Dinah yelled, between gasping for air. "But did you have to."  
"Of course I did," Gabby interrupted. "How else was she gonna know I was interested? I'm having enough trouble getting dates as it is with you hanging around."  
Dinah's eyes narrowed.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.  
Gabby stared at Dinah, hands on her hips. "Are you kidding me? I'm openly gay. You and I hang out all the time. People just assume."  
"But I'm straight!" Dinah interrupted. "I'm going out with Matt Kendall for Pete's sake!"  
"Doesn't keep people from assuming your also with me," Gabby explained. Gabby laughed at Dinah's shocked expression. Gabby looped an arm through Dinah's and started walking down the block. "Don't worry about it. Who cares what they think?! Me, on the other hand - that's who you should be worrying about. If I don't get any play soon, you're gonna have to start living up to your new reputation."  
Dinah stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at her friend. Gabby had a serious look on her face for a moment. Then she winked and wagged her brows again and the two blondes erupted into fits of laughter.  
  
* * *  
  
She watched as the two giggling teenagers walked down the block and turned at the corner. She'd watched the whole scene between them, had been watching them for some time now. She was never worried about being seen, safely viewing from behind the darkly tinted windows of her Firebird. She smiled at the mirth between the two girls - they were obviously close friends. She remembered a time when she had felt that close to someone - when she had shared such heartfelt laughter. That had been long ago and since then, the laughs had been far and few between; mirth had been a fleeting emotion. It seemed that recently, all she had known was pain and loss. Tears filled her eyes as the girls passed out of sight. She started the Firebird and pulled away from the curb, leaving New Gotham High School behind in a cloud of dust. 


	2. A Return to Hell Part 2

Helena looked at her watch and sighed as she realized she had yet another hour to go before her shift ended. She leaned her elbows on the bar, rested her chin on her hands and glanced around the Dark Horse. Business was light today and she was bored. She needed action, excitement, but she knew that the bar wouldn't really start to fill up until her shift was just about over.  
"Huntress, it's Oracle. Do you copy?"  
Helena reached up to activate the microphone on her earring-based comm set.  
"Yeah, I'm here," she said, lowering her head so no one could see she was talking.  
"Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"  
"Oracle. Really. I mean, isn't that something you can ask me over the phone like other normal people, instead of me having to talk inside my shirt so my customers don't think I'm crazy."  
Helena spun her head as the phone at the end of the bar rang. She rushed to pick it up.  
"So? You coming home for dinner tonight or what?"  
Helena couldn't help but laugh. Barbara had been this way lately - light-hearted, joking more. It had been rough going for a while. Jason's death at the hands of Harley Quinn - Helena still had trouble with that; still blamed herself - had been pretty hard for Barbara. And then Dinah was raped - that was hard on all of them. But lately, things had been settling down - becoming more routine. Sweeps were relatively easy and - Helena had to admit it - more fun with Dinah along as a partner, though sometimes she still liked to go it alone. Old habits die hard. But lately, all of them had been in better spirits. None of their nightly sweeps had revealed any ultimately diabolical scheme and life in general was taking on a semblance of normalcy again for all of them.  
"Might as well," Helena drawled. "This joint ain't exactly jumpin'"  
Barbara laughed - a rich, melodical sound that made Helena smile. Helena loved it when Barbara was happy. It was an infectious feeling - one that had been fleeting of late.  
I could really get used to this, Helena thought.  
"Slow day today?" Barbara asked.  
Helena frowned. "Slow's not the word for it - more like barely breathing. Please say you've found some new diabolical plot being hatched in New Gotham's underworld and that there is plenty of ass-kicking to be done."  
"Sorry to disappoint - just the usual creeps and slime out there," Barbara said, laughing again. "The biggest news I have for you is that Alfred once again took the liberty of restocking the refrigerator. I guess it was running on empty again."  
This time it was Helena's turn to laugh. "Thank you, Alfred. I swear, Barbara, Oracle is all-seeing and all-knowing, except when it comes to going grocery shopping. Then she seems to develop amnesia."  
"Cute, Helena. So, I'll see you in a couple of hours?"  
"I'll be there as long as Alfred is doing the cooking." Helena's eyes twinkled with mischief and she could almost see the frown on her mentor's face.  
"What's wrong with my cooking?"  
"Oracle is all-seeing and all-knowing."  
"Funny, Helena, very funny."  
Helena was still laughing when Barbara broke the connection. She moved the receiver from her ear and held it in front of her face.  
"Touchy, touchy," she said, still laughing as she hung up the phone.  
  
* * *  
  
"I take it Miss Helena will be home for dinner," Alfred said after Barbara broke the connection with Helena.  
Barbara turned to face the butler and noticed the look of barely disguised mirth on her old friend's face.  
"I take it you heard every word of that little exchange."  
Alfred's facial expression turned into one of indignant shock.  
"Why of course not, Miss Barbara, that would have required me to be eavesdropping."  
"Which you would never do," Barbara interrupted, sarcasm dripping from her words.  
"Perish the thought," said Alfred. As he turned toward the kitchen and passed Dinah, he gave her a wink.  
Barbara moved away from the Delphi and steered her chair over to the table piled high with textbooks, stopping beside Dinah.  
"Is it me, or does this pile just keep growing," Barbara joked.  
Dinah glared in response.  
"Oh, it's growing alright. Soon I'll have to hit the weight room just so I can carry my books to school each day. Can't you guys give us kids a break every once in a while?"  
"You guys?" Barbara asked, eyebrow raised.  
"Yeah," Dinah answered. "Teachers! Every time I turn around they give me another book to carry. 'Have to bring it to school every day', the say. 'But we only use it for homework,' we say. 'Oh, heavens no! We just might glance in it for a second on the last Monday of the school year and what would happen if you didn't have the book with you then?' they say! What would happen? My arms would hurt a lot less, my posture would be a lot better."  
"You'd have a lot less to drop when you bump into a hot guy - a lot less for him to help you pick up," Barbara joked.  
Dinah glanced away guiltily and Barbara laughed.  
"You have a lot of homework tonight?" Barbara asked.  
"Not really. You have a lot of activity on the Delphi?" Dinah asked, a hopeful expression on her face.  
"Not really," Barbara answered, perusing through one of Dinah's history textbooks.  
Dinah's face fell. "Great! The one night I can definitely go on sweeps and there's no crime to fight."  
"Oh, I wouldn't say 'no crime'. Just very little." Barbara put the textbook down and headed back toward the Delphi Monitor. Dinah joined her.  
"I know I should be happy the crime numbers are down," Barbara continued. "I mean, that is what we want, right? To rid New Gotham of crime and make it a safer place to live. But.I can't help wondering."  
"What?" Dinah asked.  
Barbara met Dinah's eyes as she answered. "I can't help but wonder if this is the calm before the storm."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, Robert, how's the family?"  
The mole-faced janitor squirmed in his seat, looking down at his scuffed shoes.  
"Haven't seen 'em. They couldn't care less about me."  
Behind the plexi-glass, Dr. Harleen Quinzel's features were sympathetic and concerned as she listened to Robert Bledsoe complain about his family problems in depth. Harley Quinn was hidden deep where no trace could be seen by Dr. Quinzel's former patient. From her hiding place though, Harley was ecstatic.  
Still the same old Ballistic Bobby! she thought. Always putty in my hands! I'm sitting inside a freakin' cell in Arkham and this idiot is still talking to me as if I'm still his doctor! What a nut! Listen to him drone on about his pathetic little life! As if I could actually give a damn!  
"I'm so sorry, Robert. I wish I could do more for you. Perhaps a group session with your family." She paused as Robert's face lit up with the suggestion. "But." she widened her hands and gestured at her surroundings. ".I could hardly do that sort of session from here."  
Robert looked back down at the floor. Dr. Quinzel stared at his bowed head, barely controlling Harley as she struggled to break free.  
C'mon, you dolt! You know you want to!!  
As Robert looked up once more and met Dr. Quinzel's eyes, he was greeted with a reassuring smile.  
"Maybe I can help you with that.You know.The way you've always helped me?"  
YES!!!! 


	3. A Return to Hell Part 3

"Huntress, Dinah, head over to Winthrop and Adams. Burglar alarm."  
Huntress smiled as Oracle's voice rang in her ears. She'd been waiting for a call all night while wandering the rooftops of New Gotham in the glowing light from the near full moon. She loved prowling the nights, racing from rooftop to rooftop, soaring high over New Gotham. It was a feeling of freedom few could ever understand. The euphoria could only be heightened by the calls she received from Oracle. It gave her a rush - the sense of urgency, the race against time, the rush into danger. One wrong step, one second wasted, one missed opportunity - it could all spell disaster for her. She loved every second and, despite her protests, she just couldn't get enough of it. "I'm on it," she said, acknowledging Oracle as she dove three stories to the next rooftop.  
  
* * *  
  
"Gotcha," Dinah answered Oracle's call, struggling to keep her voice steady. Inside, she was trembling with excitement. She made a left turn and sent the Hummer barreling down the street, rushing to the crime scene. There were times she wished she didn't need the car - that she had superhuman speed or the ability to fly. But for now, the powers she had were difficult enough to handle and she would accept being at the mercy of an engine-based mode of transportation. She heard Huntress acknowledge Oracle and could actually picture the ear to ear grin she was sporting as she soared high above New Gotham. Dinah knew the feeling well, the wind from the open windows whipping her hair back as she sped into danger, senses heightened, pulse racing, a feeling of vulnerability mixed with a sense of daring invincibility. And afterwards - after a job well-done - the feeling she got. Not just a sense of accomplishment, but so much more. Dinah loved the feeling she got from helping someone - even if that someone didn't know that they were being helped. She didn't know if Huntress felt the same way. In fact, Dinah knew that Huntress often times got frustrated with that part of the life. The lack of recognition for the pain and sacrifices involved in keeping the innocent citizens of New Gotham safe sometimes got to Huntress. But Dinah didn't mind the anonymity, and she believed that in that respect, she and Oracle were very much alike.  
  
* * *  
  
Huntress landed on the rooftop of the New Gotham Pawn Shop and immediately went into a crouch. There was a lookout man on the corner and she didn't want to be spotted just yet. Then she realized that Dinah should be arriving in any minute and she didn't have the luxury of leaping to rooftops for concealment. "Dinah, there's a look..." Huntress stopped in mid-sentence as the lookout man disappeared. What the hell? She'd only looked away for a second, but in that second, Dinah had used her telekinetic powers to yank the man around the corner and into a street pole. Huntress, leaning over the roof on that side of the street, spotted the lookout man lying face down at Dinah's feet. "Nice work, Kid," Huntress said, a smile born of pride spreading across her features. Dinah was definitely picking up the finer points of stealth and Huntress took the credit for imparting that bit of knowledge. "I really wish you would stop calling me that!" Dinah growled into her comms, brow furrowed and eyes blazing. She deliberately shot a glare at the rooftop of the pawn shop. "I'm not a kid. Now, if you're done resting, we have a job to do." Dinah headed around the corner to the front of the shop, a look of determination on her face. She shot out her hand and the pawn shop door flew open on its hinge, startling the two thieves inside. "Dinah! Wait up!" Huntress leapt off the roof, dropping neatly in front of the open door. She rushed inside and joined the battle already in progress. "Nice of you to join me," Dinah yelled as she ducked the wild punch thrown by one of the two black clad thieves. "I was wondering if you were feeling up to it - old bones and all." She drew out her expandable baton and flicked it open. Huntress noted Dinah had chosen to engage the larger of the two - the one brandishing the crowbar. She shook her head as she positioned herself between Dinah and the other criminal - smaller, but not much smaller, and no less menacing - as he attempted to attack Dinah from her blind side. Huntress wondered when Dinah was going to grow out of this competitive air she had adopted on sweeps. For some reason, Dinah always believed she had something to prove to Huntress, but, although she'd never admit it to Dinah's face, Huntress felt she had already proven herself. Dinah had amazing powers that she was only yet discovering and learning to control, but that wasn't what Huntress admired most about the teen. Dinah had Huntress' back - she could trust her - and she would never back down, no matter what the danger. These qualities were important to Huntress - to know she could count on Dinah, no matter what. Positioned back to back, Dinah and Huntress faced their enemies. Huntress' attacker launched himself first. What he lacked in weaponry, he made up for in fighting prowess, coming in with a flurry of blows. Dinah's adversary took that moment to launch his own attack, swinging high with the crowbar. Dinah gripped the baton in both hands and blocked blow, twisting under the crowbar and poking her assailant in the face with the butt of her baton. As he pin-wheeled backward in pain, Dinah sprang after him. "Huntress, what's going on?" Oracle's voice rang in Huntress' ear as she blocked a kick to the right side of her head. "We're a little busy right now. Try back later!" Huntress replied as she wrapped her right arm around the leg she just blocked and pulled backward, causing her attacker to lose his balance and land on his back. Dinah's adversary had recovered his balance and was wiping away the blood that had spurted from his nose as a result of Dinah's counter attack. He looked at the blood for an instant as if it were something foreign to him. Then, with renewed fury, he swung the crowbar at Dinah's midsection. The blow narrowly missed and Dinah took advantage of the thug's forward momentum. Swinging the baton around to his left, she swung down with all her might at the back of his right calf. As he fell to his knee, Dinah brought the baton up in a two-handed blow to the chin, sending him reeling backwards. Before he could raise himself up off the floor, Dinah was there, dealing the final blow with the baton, knocking him unconscious. Meanwhile, Huntress' adversary had righted himself and was preparing a renewed attack. Huntress crossed her arms and shook her head. "Ya know, you really just should have stayed down." The right punch he threw was his last. Huntress blocked the blow and slid her left arm around his, locking it firmly under her armpit. She thrust upward with the heel of her right hand, connecting with the thief's jaw. She launched a quick jab to the midsection with her right fist, and then caught the man's face full on with her right forearm as he was jerked forward by the force of the blow. He crumpled to the floor, through with fighting for the day. Huntress stood over the man as he lost consciousness. "Why is it men never listen to women's advice?" "Huntress? Dinah? Will someone tell me what's going on!" Oracle's voice rang in both of their ears. Dinah grinned at Huntress. Oracle was clearly angry, but Dinah couldn't resist gloating. "We're done here, Oracle. You can send in the cleaning crew." Huntress was busy inspecting the blood her prey had sprayed on the front of her shirt when she struck him with her forearm. "Speaking of cleaning - I should take the money outta this guy's wallet for my cleaning bill. How the hell am I supposed to explain this?" Dinah shrugged, turned to leave, then tossed over her shoulder, "Rough date?" They left the New Gotham Pawn Shop laughing, Huntress giving Dinah a playful push before launching herself back up to the shop's roof. Dinah headed back to the car as Barbara called them back to the Clocktower. Neither of them noticed the black Firebird with the tinted windows parked across the street from the pawn shop. As Huntress and Dinah left the scene of the crime they had prevented, the occupant of the Firebird relaxed her grip on the steering wheel. She realized she had been holding her breath the whole time the two had been in the shop. Letting it out slowly and taking another deep breath, she started up the engine and pulled away from the curb, driving off into the night.  
  
* * *  
  
Harley was so happy at this moment. It was as if all her dreams were about to be realized. She hadn't been certain that Robert was up to the task of breaking her out of Arkham, but he proved more violent than she could ever imagine. Summoning the guard to her cell on the pretense that she was ill, Robert slipped behind the guard as he peered into the plexi-glass prison and broke his neck. All on a suggestion from me! Who needs hypnotic eyes? I have him wrapped around my little finger, the fool! He used the guard's security pass to release her from the hateful plexi- glass prison. She smiled in gratitude and asked him to help her move the guard into the cell. Robert was confused as to why they needed to lock the dead man inside the cell, but Dr. Quinzel had always known what was best. Who was he to question her now? He turned his back to Harley, who had removed the baton from the guard's belt and was busying herself twirling it in her hand. The moment he turned his back, Harley pounced on him, striking Robert again and again with the baton until he stopped moving. She stood over Robert's body and wiped the blood spatters from her face. "I guess we won't be needing to have that little group session after all, huh, Robert?" She giggled, nudging the bloody form with her foot. She bent down and retrieved the security pass Robert had dropped on the floor.  
  
"Careless boy," she admonished, good-naturedly. "Can't leave this thing laying around. What if one of the nuts in this place got a hold of it? Hmm?" She laughed heartily at the suggestion. Ah! Free at last!!! Now to find my beloved Mr. J!! I'm coming, sweetheart! 


	4. A Return to Hell Part 4

Huntress reached the Clocktower first, but waited for Dinah to arrive before going inside. It made their partnership seem more complete if they came in from sweeps together. After years of going it alone, Huntress had finally come to grips with having a partner out in the field. She had always relied on Oracle to have her back, but she had to admit that Dinah was a great help in sweeps. Having her around made sweeps much faster and two could cover much more ground than one.  
As Dinah rolled up in the Hummer, Huntress smiled. She always teased the girl about her driving and tonight would be no exception. Huntress thought it a shame that with all of the cool powers Dinah had, she would never experience the joy of leaping from roof to roof, wind whipping your hair. It was very much like flying and it was when Huntress felt most free.  
"About time you showed up," Helena teased.  
"Thought I'd try getting here without getting stopped for speeding and with the Hummer still intact," Dinah responded, a twinkle of mischief in her eye.  
"One time! It was one time!" Huntress said as she hopped into the passenger seat.  
"You hit a fire hydrant!" Dinah pointed out, laughing as she put the Hummer in drive and entered the garage.  
"I was in a hurry! Oracle said it was urgent! Lives to save and all that!"  
"Mhm. Whatever." Dinah looked over at Huntress who realized that her daily teasing ritual had just been turned around on her. Dinah winked and parked the Hummer, a grin spreading across her face from ear to ear.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara turned her chair away from the Delphi Monitor as Helena and Dinah exited the elevator, laughing. She smiled, thinking of a time when Helena had been adamantly opposed to Dinah coming out with her on sweeps. In fact, Helena hadn't really liked the idea of Barbara taking Dinah in as a ward in the first place. But she had warmed up to the idea, and now the two were like sisters.  
"What's up, Barbara?" Dinah said as she watched Helena head straight for the kitchen.  
"You are," Barbara answered. "That's why I called you back in. It's pretty quiet out there and it is a school night after all."  
"Thaf fwight," Helena said around a mouthful of apple Pop-Tart.  
Barbara glared at Helena's lack of manners. "Eating already I see."  
"Hey," Helena said, a tad offended. "All this hard work makes a gal hungry, ya know?"  
Barbara was just about to tease Helena about her girlish figure when the Delphi Monitor sent out an alert message, tone sounding and screen turning bright amber. Barbara turned to face the screen and accepted the message. Her face blanched as she read the police report that appeared in front of her. A strangled sounding "No!" was the only sound that could escape her lips as she reread the information in disbelief.  
Helena and Dinah exchanged a glance and hastened to Barbara's side, Helena's Pop-Tart all but forgotten on the kitchen counter in her rush to see what had Barbara so upset. The girls stood behind Barbara and read the police report detailing the escape of two well-known criminals from Arkham Prison - the Joker and his girlfriend, Harley Quinn. Dinah placed a bracing hand on Barbara's shoulder and glanced over at Helena, who had suddenly grown very pale. Another alert sounded on the Delphi Monitor, but it took a full minute before any of them realized it.  
"It's Reese," Dinah said, acknowledging the alert. "He's at Arkham."  
Helena dragged her eyes away from the police report. A look of determination replacing the one of shock, she headed toward the elevator.  
Barbara shook herself out of her trance and spun her chair around.  
"Helena, wait!"  
But she was already gone.  
  
* * *  
  
"How the hell did they get out?!" They were the first words out of her mouth as she dropped in behind Detective Jesse Reese from the rooftop above.  
"Dammit, Huntress, I wish you'd stop doing that to me!"  
"I wanna know how they got out!" Huntress' eyes flared and Jesse took a step back.  
"Hey! I didn't let them out! Take it easy." Jesse reached out his hand to touch Huntress' arm, but she shook him off.  
"Don't tell me to take it easy, dammit! How could they let them escape?! The biggest criminals in Arkham!" She turned and slammed a fist down on the trunk of his car. Jesse cringed at the dent she'd made. He stepped closer and cautiously laid his left hand on her back.  
"Huntress." Jesse tried to find words as Huntress stared out into the street, remembering a rainy night long ago. When she spoke again, her voice was low, with a slight tremble as the anger built.  
"He had my mother murdered.and Barbara.what he did to Barbara.And Harley! That Bitch!" She spun to face Jesse. "And now they're out there, roaming New Gotham! Free!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Dinah, go to bed," Barbara said, anger creeping into her voice.  
"But Helena." Dinah knew her protests would fall on deaf ears, but she was worried - about both of them. Both Harley Quinn and the Joker had caused them so much pain. She didn't want to go to bed; she wanted to be here for her mentor, her friend - her family.  
"Helena, what?" Dinah and Barbara both turned to find Helena stepping out of the elevator. Dinah noted that her eyes hadn't yet changed back to their natural shade of blue.  
"Um.I was." Dinah stammered. She was unsure of what Helena's reaction would be if she said that she was worried about how angry Helena had seemed when she left, especially since the anger hadn't dissipated much.  
"She was just about to go to bed," Barbara interrupted, throwing Dinah a pointed look. "Right, Dinah?"  
"Yeah," Dinah sighed in resignation. "I guess I was." She left the room glancing back at Barbara and Helena before exiting. She hoped they wouldn't fight - they needed each other to help make it through this.  
Barbara waited until Dinah was out of earshot.  
"What the hell were you thinking - running out of here like that? With those maniacs on the loose?!" Barbara's emerald eyes were smoldering with anger, but shimmering beneath that anger, Helena recognized the fear. It wasn't the Joker or Harley that Barbara was afraid of - it was what might happen to Helena if they were to get the drop on her. Helena understood this, and so she decided to apologize instead of arguing with her.  
"I know. I'm sorry. I was just so pissed! I needed to know how they got out.who dropped the ball." Helena's eyes slowly began to revert back to blue as she placed a hand on Barbara's tensed shoulder. "It won't happen again." She could feel some of the tension start to drain away. "I did remember to leave the comms on," she said with a wink.  
"Yes, for once," Barbara smiled then, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Helena, I want." Her voice caught as the anger ebbed away and the fear took over. "Please..don't."  
"You want me to stay here tonight, don't you?" Helena asked, her eyes softening even further as she realized just how concerned Barbara was for her welfare.  
Barbara nodded, knowing that this was asking Helena for a lot. She loved the freedom her apartment at the Dark Horse afforded her, but Barbara was terrified that the Joker would find Helena. Barbara knew that Harley would waste no time in telling the Joker that Helena was Batman's daughter. He would hunt Helena down and.Barbara didn't want to think of what he might do to her.  
Helena saw the pleading look in Barbara's eyes and it touched her heart.  
"Okay. For tonight. Then we track down these bastards and send them back to Arkham!"  
  
* * *  
  
A flash of light, like that of a strobe, encompasses her vision. The sound of shattering glass fills her ears. She watches in horror as a body crashes through the glass, hundreds of glistening, jagged shards raining down, falling with the battered body.falling.  
  
Dinah jolted upright, not fully awake, vivid images from the nightmare just beginning to fade. She raised a trembling hand to brush a sweat-dampened strand of hair from her face. Dinah had suffered from nightmares much of her young life, a fact that both dismayed and annoyed the Redmonds. Had they been normal run-of-the-mill nightmares, the Redmonds would have had no reason to fear, but Dinah's nightmares were anything but ordinary.  
The most vivid nightmares had the nasty habit of becoming reality where Dinah was concerned. This power was something the Redmonds couldn't understand and therefore feared, making Dinah feel like there was something wrong with her - like she was some kind of freak. Dinah hid her abilities from the world, feeling alone and afraid, until she came to New Gotham. Until she met two women she had dreamed about as a child. She had seen the teenage Helena cradling her mother in her arms, begging her not to leave her. She had seen the shock on Barbara's face as the Joker fired the shot that would leave her paralyzed from the waist down. She had seen them in her childhood nightmares - nightmares that had come true.  
Meeting Helena and Barbara had made Dinah realize that she wasn't crazy. And Barbara and Helena encouraged her to use her powers - to not be afraid of them. They accepted her as part of their misfit family - proving to her that she wasn't alone. It made dealing with the nightmares a little easier to handle, now that she had someone to talk to about them - someone who wouldn't scoff at them or make her feel like she was abnormal for having them.  
But this time.this nightmare.  
Something about this all-too-vivid vision was disconcerting in that it felt too close somehow. It felt as if she knew the person crashing through the glass, though she could see no details through the flash of light. Something about the shattering of the glass sounded all too familiar in her ears, though she couldn't explain why. For the first time since she'd moved in with Barbara, she was actually afraid of this power she possessed. 


	5. A Return to Hell Part 5

As Dinah prepared for school, she felt as if she were moving through quicksand. After last night's nightmare, Dinah had no desire to go back to sleep. She lay in bed, replaying portions of the dream in her mind, trying to figure out who it was crashing through the glass, what had happened to cause it. At 6:00AM, she found she hadn't made any progress and decided that she might as well get ready for the days classes.  
  
As Dinah left her bedroom, she was surprised to find Helena seated at the Delphi Monitor station, looking as tired as she did perplexed by all of the technology before her. As the teen entered the room, Helena looked up, relief flooding her features.  
  
"Thank God! I have no idea what I'm doing here!" she said, waving Dinah over.  
  
Dinah couldn't suppress a giggle. Helena, so adept at tracking down and bringing to justice the most dangerous and hardened criminals, so skilled when it came to fighting and soaring above the streets of New Gotham, was all thumbs behind a computer console.  
  
As she approached the station, Dinah surveyed the room.  
  
"Where's Barbara?" she asked. As surprised as she was to see Helena seated at the Delphi, she was equally surprised that Barbara was not.  
  
"I made her get some rest. She was falling asleep at the computer, hands on the keyboard, still trying to type. She finally agreed with me when I pointed at the screen and asked her what language she was typing in. None of what she had just entered made sense. Though I don't think she was too happy with leaving me to watch the Delphi. Kept telling me to wake her up if anything important came in. 'Promise me you won't touch anything,' she kept saying." Helena laughed.  
  
Dinah laughed as she pulled up a chair to sit beside Helena. She could actually hear Barbara saying the words, her voice a mix of sternness and trepidation as she left her "baby" in the dangerous hands of a non-computer geek like Helena. As she recovered from the laughter, something Helena said sank in surprising her even more than the sight of Helena at the Delphi.  
  
"Wait! You've been here all night?"  
  
Helena nodded. "Barbara was worried about me going back to my apartment. I guess she figures that Harley would tell the Joker about my dad and that he would come after me like he did my mom and Barbara." She shook her head. "She didn't have to say a word - I planned on staying anyway. Did you see the look on her face when she read the report? She looked so.I dunno.haunted."  
  
"Yeah," Dinah agreed, her features darkening with the memory. "It was like, in that one moment, she saw everything she experienced at their hands replayed in her mind. Sorta scared me a little."  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it. It's been a while since I've seen her like that. Keep this in mind, Dinah - it's never a really good idea to leave her alone when she's like that, no matter how often she says she's okay." Helena locked eyes with Dinah to make certain the girl understood.  
  
Dinah nodded, not quite understanding just what Helena meant, but realizing that she wasn't going to elaborate on it at the moment.  
  
Satisfied with Dinah's response, Helena quickly changed the subject. "Well, let's see what we can whip up to eat around here," she said, rising from her chair and stretching out her tired limbs.  
  
"Where's Alfred?" Dinah asked.  
  
"Barbara called him and told him it would be safer for him to stay at the Bat Cave." Helena made a face. "She tried to persuade me that it would be safer for all of us there, but I told her that there was no way I was gonna stay in that dank, underground hell-hole!"  
  
"It would still be a lot safer." The girls jumped as Barbara wheeled into the room behind them. "Harley knows where to find us," she pointed out.  
  
Helena shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "You've upgraded the security systems since then, Barbara. There's no way she's getting in here."  
  
Barbara didn't respond to Helena's statement, but rather moved to position herself in front of the Delphi Monitor.  
  
"She didn't break anything, did she?" she asked Dinah.  
  
"Hey!" Helena shouted indignantly, while Dinah chuckled. She turned to Dinah. "What the hell are YOU laughing at?"  
  
"Um." Dinah chose the politician's way out - she ducked the subject. "So, what's for breakfast?"  
  
"Just tea for me," Barbara responded in a distracted voice as she began tapping away at the Delphi's keyboard.  
  
"You gonna sit there all day staring at those monitors?" Helena asked.  
  
Barbara looked up quickly, annoyance creeping into her voice. "We have two extremely dangerous felons roaming the streets of New Gotham! You have a better suggestion?"  
  
"Well, you DO have this little thing called a day job," Helena said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I called in sick," Barbara responded, eyes once again glued to the monitor before her.  
  
Dinah, who had been making her way toward the kitchen, stopped dead in her tracks. "WHAT?!"  
  
Barbara turned to face her. "Dinah, do you realize how serious this is - how much danger all of us are in? The Joker is all about revenge - has been for as long as I can remember. Anyone who crosses his path." Barbara paused as a wave of memories hit her, threatening to overcome her. She forced them back down. "And Harley is just as bad. We have to track them down and bring them in before they can regroup and gain any kind of stronghold on New Gotham's underworld."  
  
"Well," Helena walked toward the elevator, grabbing her coat, "let me know what you find out. I'm going to work. C'mon, Kid, breakfast's on me."  
  
"Cool!" Dinah reached for her books.  
  
"Whoa!" Barbara shouted, spinning her chair around. "You're not going anywhere!"  
  
Dinah looked at Barbara in shock. "Barbara, I have to go to class in an hour."  
  
"And I'm saying you are taking the day off today," Barbara said firmly.  
  
Dinah couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
Barbara actually WANTS me to cut class? What's wrong with this picture?  
  
Helena stopped short on the way to the elevator and turned to study her mentor. Barbara was facing Dinah, a no-nonsense look on her face. Helena put her coat on a chair and walked over to Barbara. Kneeling down before Barbara's chair, Helena locked eyes with her mentor.  
  
"Barbara," she began quietly, her voice filled with understanding, "I know you're worried. Yes, the Joker and Harley are extremely dangerous alone, and together.well, who knows what New Gotham is in for. But we can't stop living our lives, looking over our shoulder every minute, waiting for them to attack. The Joker and Harley Quinn - they love to play head games. They love it when they can get under people's skin. Don't you see, if we hide out, they win!"  
  
Barbara stared into Helena's eyes, wanting to find argument with what she was saying, but she couldn't. Helena was right. The Joker and Harley Quinn found it great fun to instill terror in the hearts of their enemies. By keeping the girls here at the Clocktower, Barbara would be unwittingly playing into their hands - letting them win too easily. She nodded.  
  
"Okay, but stay on comms - constant contact!"  
  
"Got it!" Helena squeezed Barbara's hand and rose to leave.  
  
Dinah grabbed her books and followed Helena to the elevator, pausing to give Barbara a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I'll stay on comms and I promise not to cut class without letting you know first," she said, giving Barbara a wink.  
  
Barbara couldn't help but laugh. "I'll pick you up after school."  
  
Dinah wagged a finger at her. "Nuh uh! You're sick remember."  
  
"And I'll make a sudden miraculous recovery by school's end. No arguments!"  
  
Helena interceded before Dinah could voice an argument. "C'mon, Dinah, I'm really not in the mood to listen to another of Leonard's lectures on the meaning of punctuality."  
  
With that, the two girls entered the elevator. Barbara watched the elevator make it's descent with a mixture of fear and dread. Somehow, she was certain that the Joker and Harley would strike soon. But how?  
  
* * *  
  
"Huntress?"  
  
"Here, Oracle," Helena turned to face the shelves of liquor and ducked her head low to avoid attracting the attention of the customers at the bar. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing," was Barbara's disappointed answer. "Absolutely nothing. The police have made absolutely no progress in their search for the Joker and Harley. Frustrating as all hell!"  
  
"Hey, what did you expect? This is the New Gotham P.D. we're talking about," Helena drawled.  
  
"Yeah.I know.Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I was going mobile. I'm on my way to pick up Dinah from school."  
  
"Duck real low in the Hummer so the other teachers can't see ya," Helena joked.  
  
"Very funny. Oracle out."  
  
* * *  
  
Dinah and Gabby made their way toward the front exit of New Gotham High School, fighting their way through the packs of teenagers, all with one thought on their minds - freedom!  
  
"Ya wanna come over my house tonight?" Gabby asked. "We can rent Starship Troopers. I know how much you love Casper Van Dien."  
  
Dinah laughed. "Nice try - you're forgetting that I know how much you lust after Dina Meyer! Besides, I can't. Barbara's picking me up. You want a ride?"  
  
Gabby cocked an eyebrow, confusion clouding her features. "I thought Ms. G was out sick."  
  
"Yeah, so? Am I always sick when I skip class?"  
  
Gabby laughed. "Right. Sometimes I forget that teachers get just as fed up with school as you and I do."  
  
They both laughed as they made their way out into the warm sunshine and down the steps of New Gotham High School. Dinah waved as she saw Barbara pull up to the curb further down the block. As she turned to repeat her offer of a ride to Gabby, she saw a man approaching them from the right - a man with bright red hair, white face make-up and a huge red grin from ear to ear.  
  
"Gabby! Look out!" Dinah shoved Gabby out of harm's way, and faced the clown, never realizing that yet another clown-faced villain was approaching her from behind. Dinah tried to scream as a sack was deftly placed over her head. Arms grabbed her, lifting her off her feet, carrying her roughly. Dinah tried to struggle with her captors, but found herself feeling suddenly weak. She soon found it difficult to focus and she realized that the smell of the sack's interior was a familiar one. The sack had been doused with chloroform. As she drifted unconscious, she barely registered a tiny voice calling out her name. Then the world went black.  
  
* * *  
  
"Huntress, it's Oracle!"  
  
Helena grabbed her ear, wincing in pain at the loudness of Oracle's voice. She spotted her boss, Leonard staring at her and quickly recovered, telling him she was going to use the Ladies' Room. Once inside, she checked all the stalls for occupants. Finding none, she answered Oracle's hail.  
  
"Dammit, Oracle! That hurt!"  
  
Oracle ignored Helena's complaint. "Meet me at the New Gotham Police Department! Dinah's been abducted!"  
  
Without a second thought, Helena raced out of the bathroom, past Leonard, and out the front door of the Dark Horse Bar.  
  
* * *  
  
The Firebird sat outside of an old abandoned building in the old Gotham Dock Yards. Inside the car, hidden once again by the tint of the windows, the woman glared at the building with contempt. The van parked beside it had been empty for some time, the occupants having carried an unconscious Dinah into the building long ago.  
  
She had been at the school when Dinah was abducted, parked in her usual spot across the street, watching as Dinah and her friend exited the school. She smiled, noting the laughter emanating from the two girls as they walked down the steps. Dinah raised her hand to wave as a Hummer pulled up to the curb a few yards away from where she was parked. Then, suddenly, all hell broke loose. Thugs disguised as clowns grabbed Dinah and tossed her into the back of a green van.  
  
She already had the Firebird in gear and was tearing down the street behind the van seconds after it pulled away from the school. She noted the Hummer directly behind her, joining in the pursuit. As the van skidded around the corner, blowing through a red light, a truck rolled through the intersection. She barely missed it as she struggled to keep the van in site. Looking back in the rear view mirror, she noticed that the Hummer had been unable to follow, the truck blocking its path, leaving her Dinah's only hope.  
  
She pulled back a bit, giving the van a comfort zone, wanting the driver to think he was losing her. At this point, there could be only one place that van was headed, and she knew the route like the back of her hand.  
  
She knew who was in that building with Dinah - the clown-faced thugs said it all. It had to be the Joker. And that meant that Dinah was in grave danger. The woman ran a hand through her long brown hair. She knew she had to get Dinah to safety, but she needed a plan. 


	6. A Return to Hell Part 6

Darkness.muffled voices.dull, thudding pain.  
  
"Wakey, wakey," said a female voice, in a sickeningly sweet cadence, as Dinah struggled to regain consciousness. Vague memories assaulted her as she swam in and out of consciousness - a clown face, a woman's scream, arms grabbing her.  
  
Suddenly, Dinah was jolted awake by the stinging cold blast of a bucket-full of ice cold water. Gasping and sputtering, Dinah came fully awake, and everything came back to her. She had been abducted; her captors clown-faced goons that had knocked her out with chloroform and taken her God-knows-where. She couldn't see - her eyes were blindfolded and she realized that she was bound to a chair of some kind.  
  
"Rise and shine, Blondie!"  
  
A shiver ran down Dinah's spine that had nothing to do with the water she'd been hit with. Dinah recognized that voice, one minute so cloyingly sweet and the next, dripping with evil. Harley Quinn. Dinah forced herself to remain calm as she felt the woman's warm breath caress her ear.  
  
"Remember me, Sweetheart?" she whispered. Harley trailed a finger down Dinah's cheek. "Did you think you and your friends could get rid of me so easily?" Dinah's head snapped back as Harley yanked a handful of her hair. "Fat chance, Bitch! Harley's back! And here to stay!"  
  
Harley shoved Dinah's head forward, letting go of her hair. Dinah slowly lifted her head and listened as Harley circled her chair, taunting her. She willed herself not to react - to keep her face a mask, devoid of all emotion. Harley stopped directly in front of her and leaned in close, so close that Dinah could detect the scent of cherry-flavored blowpops on her breath.  
  
"There's someone I'd like you to meet, Sweet Cheeks. Someone special to me. My reason for being! My green-haired Adonis! Dear, sweet, Dinah.meet The Joker."  
  
Dinah's blood ran cold as The Joker laughed. It was the same laughter she heard in her dreams. She saw it as clearly as she had all those years ago.Barbara rushing to the door, opening it to reveal a green-haired clown- faced man holding a gun. The gun fires.  
  
Knock, knock. Who's there? Batgirl.past tense.  
  
The Joker's maniacal laughter chilled her to the bone. Dinah struggled to suppress the involuntary shudder brought on by that evil laughter, tried to force away the memories of the dreams, tried to forget the things Barbara had told her about that night. She knew she needed to stay focused - that her very survival depended on it.  
  
* * *  
  
"Dammit, how many times does she have to tell you the story?" Helena slammed her fist on the desk, causing Gabby to jump. Helena looked at Gabby's tear-streaked face and her anger immediately abated. She rested a hand on Gabby's back. "Sorry, kid."  
  
"Really, Detective," Barbara interceded, "she's right. How many more times does Gabby have to repeat the story? What are you doing to find Dinah?"  
  
Detective Jaworski put down his pencil and gave Barbara a withering stare. "Ma'am, we're doing everything possible to find Diana. All patrol units have a description of the van and the car that followed it. It's just a matter of waiting and gathering as much details about the abduction as possible. I'm sure they'll find Diana fairly quickly and will bring her back safe and sound.  
  
Helena jumped up and leaned across the desk, bringing herself within inches of Jaworski's face. "Her-name-is-Dinah! Got that? D-i-n-a-h.Dinah!"  
  
"Helena!" The sound of Detective Jesse Reese's voice returned Helena to the here and now. As she pulled away from Detective Jaworski and turned to greet Reese, Jaworski loosened his collar a bit and wiped sweat from his brow. For an instant, he thought he'd seen the brunette's eyes change color.He quickly dismissed the idea and made a mental note not to make a mistake on the missing girl's name again.  
  
Barbara turned her chair to face Reese. "Dinah's been kidnapped."  
  
"And we think she was taken by the Joker," Helena added, low enough so only Reese could hear.  
  
Reese's eyebrows rose.  
  
Jaworski cleared his throat. "I suppose you know these ladies?"  
  
When Reese could find his voice, he answered, "Yes, Red, they are friends of mine." Moving past Helena, Reese became the consummate professional as he came around Jaworski's desk to peer at his notes. "So, what have we got?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Sooo, you're her latest protégé, hmmm? What is it with these bat-freaks recruiting children? Should be some law against turning the under-aged, moldable types into do-gooders! Or does she just need you to push the chair around?" The Joker circled around Dinah, taunting her.  
  
"Go to Hell!" Dinah spat.  
  
"Hey, didn't anyone tell you to respect your elders?" He rapped the back of Dinah's head painfully. "Knock, Knock!" Again the Joker's maniacal laughter rang out, from directly in front of Dinah, causing her to flinch instinctively. "Harley tells me that you know something I don't know. Care to share?"  
  
"You need a breath mint," she said, a smug smile crossing her features.  
  
"I need a.ha..hahahaha." The Joker dealt Dinah a blow to the side of the head that sent her senses reeling. "Not funny! Incredibly stupid even!" Joker tuned to Harley. "She must be a natural blonde like yourself, Honey!"  
  
Harley began to laugh, then realized she was being mocked and hurriedly turned and nodded to one of the Joker's henchmen. The clown-faced goon approached Dinah, syringe in hand.  
  
"You'll tell me, Dinah-baby. And you'll come to understand that I am not someone you want to cross.just ask Babs!"  
  
Dinah felt the stab of the syringe and fear grasped at her heart as the liquid entered her blood stream.  
  
"Now, Blondie," Harley sneered. "What are the new security codes for the Clocktower?"  
  
"Hey! Harley! Who's in charge here?! Hmmm?!" Joker peered at Harley, menacingly.  
  
"Sorry, Mr. J. Guess I just got caught up in the moment." In spite of the fear the Joker's glare inspired, Harley had to smile.  
  
Damn but he's sexy when he's pissed!  
  
"Now, where was I? Oh yeah..What are the new security codes for the Clocktower?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Huntress to Oracle." Huntress crouched at the edge of the rooftop, looking out over a night-shrouded New Gotham, as she awaited Oracle's response.  
  
"I'm here," a dejected Oracle replied.  
  
"Still nothing?"  
  
Oracle sighed. "Harley would know enough to remove the transceivers. She knew how we communicated."  
  
Huntress winced as she realized she was to blame for all the knowledge Harley Quinn was now using against them.  
  
Dammit! If I hadn't told her.if I hadn't let her see who I was.  
  
"I take it by the silence that you are blaming yourself for that. Stop it.it won't help matters."  
  
"Right! Like you're not sitting, there staring at the monitor, blaming yourself for recruiting Dinah in the first place!"  
  
Silence greeted Huntress and she could almost see Oracle biting her lower lip to keep the tears from coming. She was worried about the girl - she knew all to well what the Joker was capable of. Huntress sighed. She couldn't blame Oracle for being worried - the Joker had ordered her mother executed, had viciously attacked Barbara. Huntress was just as worried about what he might do to Dinah.  
  
She tried to put some confidence into her voice as she said, "Don't worry, Oracle. We'll find her." To herself she added, "I know we will.I won't stop 'til we do."  
  
* * *  
  
The plan began without a hitch. The Joker's thugs were no match for her - a few well-placed blows and the goons guarding the entrance to the old dockyards shipping office. It was one of the few buildings the New Gotham reconstruction committee hadn't torn down yet. She had one shot at getting Dinah out. She had to count on the Joker's survival instincts and his utter lack of unconcern for anyone else's life.  
  
She searched one of the goons pockets and found a lighter, then reached in her trench coat for the bottle she'd concealed in one of the deep interior pockets. A Malotov cocktail fashioned from a Snapple bottle, an old shirt and some gasoline she siphoned from the getaway van. She lit the fuse and, with only a moment's hesitation, threw the bottle through the front door.  
  
Her toss yielded results far better than she had ever imagined - the bottle burst as it hit the opposite wall, the old, rotting wood proving to be an excellent source for the flames. The opposite wall erupted like so much tinder wood, the blaze moving quickly.  
  
Upstairs, Harley spun around as she heard the sound of broken glass, then smelled burning wood. She headed toward the doorway to the stairs, not wishing to disturb her precious Mr. J, while he was making so much progress. Her eyes grew huge with terror at what she saw. One whole wall of the old structure was engulfed in flames.  
  
She turned and screamed, "FIRE!"  
  
The Joker, turned toward her, unamused, remarking about the repercussions of crying out "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Then he saw the smoke and his words were cut off. He turned to Dinah and planted a huge kiss on her forehead.  
  
"Thanks for all your help! You've been a dear! Gotta go now! Enjoy the party - I understand the entertainment is smoking!" With that, he darted through the door, Harley hot on his heels.  
  
The lithe brunette wasted no time. As soon as the Joker and Harley left the building, she ran in. The searing flames licked at her heels as she climbed the steps two at a time. The searing heat evoked harrowing memories.memories she struggled against as she hurried to Dinah's rescue. There wasn't time enough to deal with the phantoms of the past. They could be tackled later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was Dinah's safety.  
  
"Dinah!"  
  
She spotted Dinah tied to a chair in the center of the room. The fire was fully involved now - the flames licking the floor beneath them as the woman struggled to free Dinah from her binds. The smoke was so thick, she could barely see as she pulled the blindfold off of the teen and directed her across the room to a window. It wouldn't open. Cursing, she ran back and retrieved the chair Dinah had been tied to, and hurled it with all her might at the window. Choking, she shoved Dinah through, knowing that the two-story drop would be less painful than the flames that threatened to take them.  
  
She prepared to drop through the window herself when she heard a distinct noise from below - a noise she remembered all too well. She hurled herself through the window as flames exploded into the room. She hit the ground hard, a combination of her forceful escape and the gust from the explosion. She lost consciousness for only a moment, but when she came to and looked around for Dinah, she was gone.  
  
"Dinah, no!" she croaked. 


	7. A Return to Hell Part 7

Barbara stared at the Delphi Monitor, praying for a sign.any sign.of Dinah, but knowing she wouldn't find one. Harley knew too much about their operation and she would know that Dinah's comm set contained a GPS locator device. An unwelcome vision of the Joker as she had seen him last came to Barbara then. She buried her head in her hands, tears streaking down her cheeks.  
  
Dinah! Oh God, I'm sorry! He wouldn't have taken you if it weren't for me!  
  
Barbara jerked upright at the sound of the elevator. Confusion marked her features as she turned to face the elevator.  
  
"Huntress.I thought you were going to stay on patrol until you found Dinah."  
  
Huntress came to a landing on rooftop of the New Gotham First National Bank.  
  
"I'm still on patrol." Huntress frowned, suddenly worried. "What's going on?...Oracle? Oracle?!"  
  
Something's wrong!  
  
Huntress immediately headed back to the Clocktower, praying she'd get there fast enough.  
  
The elevator door opened and a shot rang out. Barbara jumped as electronics exploded behind her, but her eyes never left the face of the man in the elevator. The man whose features were etched in her brain for life.in much the same pose as he was in now. He stepped out of the elevator, revolver trained on Barbara's chest, and laughed.  
  
"Knock, knock, Batgirl.or is it Oracle, now?"  
  
Barbara sat frozen in her wheelchair. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think. All she could do was stare at the man that put her in that wheelchair in the first place - a man she thought she'd never see in person again.  
  
"Look at her, Mr. J!" Harley shouted, pointing at Barbara. "You made such a dashing entrance, she's speechless!"  
  
The Joker ignored Harley and marched straight up to Barbara's wheelchair pointing the revolver at the center of Barbara's forehead. He leaned in close, staring into Barbara's shimmering emerald eyes.  
  
"You and I have a whole lot of catching up to do, Sweetheart. A whole lot of catching up to do."  
  
* * *  
  
Dinah squinted at the road through the van's dirty windshield. It was bad enough that she was seeing triple thanks to the drug that the Joker had injected into her system, but the windshield was filthy, making visibility close to nil. She was traveling at unadvisable speeds through the streets of New Gotham, praying that she'd get to the Clocktower in time to warn Barbara.  
  
Dinah still can't believe her luck at having found this van - the Joker's crew had abandoned it as quickly as they'd abandoned the burning dockyards building with her still tied to a chair inside. She knew she should have thanked the woman that had rescued her.or at least stopped to see if she was okay, but Barbara was in danger and all she could think of was getting back to the Clocktower.  
  
Dinah silently cursed at her weakness in revealing the Clocktower security codes. Whatever it was that the Joker had injected her with, it was potent. She had found it impossible not to tell him all he wanted to know. She tried coaxing a bit more speed out of the rattle-trap van, wondering if she was really all that lucky that Joker's henchmen had left this vehicle behind, or if it was just some cruel joke. The speed she was already achieving caused the van to shake and shimmy all over the place and it was a struggle to keep the thing going straight. She just prayed it kept together until she reached the Clocktower.  
  
Now more than ever, Dinah wished she had the power to fly.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'll cut to the chase, Barbara. It's been a while since I've seen my batty friend and I miss him terribly. So, you can make life pretty simple and just tell me where the bat-loving fool is!"  
  
Barbara flinched as the Joker's spittle flecked her face and marveled at her composure. True, she was unable to do more than stare into his eyes, but she wasn't the shaking, jabbering mess that she could have been. She was silently thankful for that. Weakness in their enemies was something the Joker and Harley looked for.thrived on. She was thankful to keep her fear and anguish hidden from the bastard.  
  
"C'mon, Gordon! The bullet rendered you a cripple! Not a mute! Let's hear it! Where is the Bat-freak?!"  
  
Trying her best to keep her voice even and her tongue sharp, Barbara answered, "I see that years in Arkham did nothing for your sanity. You must be insane to think I would ever tell you where Batman is!"  
  
She was startled to hear a voice from across the room add to her statement. "Even if she had any idea where he had gone off to.Now, I'm gonna say this as nicely as I possibly can - get the hell away from her, you clown-faced creep!"  
  
As Huntress approached, the Joker was quick to place Barbara between her and himself.  
  
"You must be Batman's little brat. So sorry about your mama. I really liked Selina - I did! But your daddy doesn't know how to play nice, so I had to take him down a notch."  
  
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"  
  
Rage overtook Huntress and she prepared to launch herself at the Joker.  
  
"Helena, don't!" Barbara yelled, then gasped as the Joker grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head backward, using her as a shield.  
  
"Nuh uh uh," he taunted, raising the gun to Barbara's temple. "One bullet express to the brain - you know I'll do it."  
  
Huntress, still tensed to pounce on the Joker, hesitated. That was when Harley launched an attack of her own. Capitalizing on the fact that Huntress now had all of her attention focused on the Joker and Barbara, Harley attacked from the left, swinging a stool at Huntress' head.  
  
Huntress saw Barbara's eyes widen seconds before screaming out a warning. She spun and ducked, the stool missing her head by inches.  
  
"I see you still haven't learned how to play nicely with others," Huntress chided, as she launched a side kick at Harley's exposed right flank. Harley crashed into one of the desks in the Delphi Monitor station.  
  
Meanwhile, Barbara had taken full advantage of the distraction, twisting the Joker's gun hand away from her temple. She then backed her chair over his left foot and smiled with satisfaction as she heard the distinct sound of bones crunching.  
  
* * *  
  
Detective Reese was just getting back to his desk when the phone rang. He was exhausted, having combed New Gotham for clues as to where the Joker might be hiding out. And he hadn't gotten any information about the mysterious Firebird that had been at the scene. It was as if the car didn't exist. The exasperation was evident in his voice as he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and picked up the phone receiver.  
  
"New Gotham P.D. This better be good!"  
  
"Detective Reese? You don't know me, but we have mutual friends who are in grave danger even as we speak! You have to get to the Clocktower!"  
  
Jesse shot forward in his chair, eyes wide open. "Who is this?" he asked as he struggled to identify the background noise on the other end of the line.  
  
"That's not important! What is important is that the Joker is on his way to the Clocktower! You have to hurry, Detective!"  
  
The line went dead, but not before Jesse recognized the noise in the background - it was an engine racing. Jesse had driven enough cars - and gotten pulled over enough times for speeding - to know that he was hearing a sports car being put to the test on the streets of New Gotham.  
  
The mysterious Firebird! Maybe it wasn't part of the kidnapping, but was trying to prevent it!  
  
Jesse raced out of the office, almost knocking McNally over in his haste to leave.  
  
McNally turned to watch the man leave, then regarded his shirt and the brand new coffee stain created when Reese had bumped into him.  
  
"Thanks, Reese," he mumbled. "That was my last clean shirt." Then he shrugged, mulling over whether he should go to the all night diner around the corner for another cup of coffee and perhaps a donut or two.  
  
* * *  
  
Dinah screeched to a halt in front of the Clocktower.  
  
Please don't let me be too late!  
  
Her heart skipped a beat as she found the side entrance door ajar. She edged it open slowly and yelped in surprise as a strong grip wrapped around her wrist and yanked her into the hallway. Three of the four henchmen the Joker had left behind to guard the entrance focused their attention on the blonde teen thrust into their midst by the fourth. They converged on her in the cramped hallway and Dinah soon found herself surrounded. She did the only thing she could do - crouched into a battle stance and prepared for the fight to come.  
  
* * *  
  
The black Firebird screeched to a halt beside the rattle-trap van. The brunette driver scanned the area carefully before she stepped out of the car. There was no sign of Dinah in the immediate area. Cursing herself for not having arrived sooner, she ran toward the side entrance of the Clocktower. She skidded to a stop a couple of feet from the door, noting the sounds of an on-going battle beyond.  
  
She kicked the door open with as much force as she could muster, slamming one of the Joker's henchmen in the face. He flailed backwards a couple of steps, then fell to the floor. Entering the hallway, the brunette took in the scene playing before her. Dinah was surrounded by three thugs, but was valiantly holding her own. She smiled, a sense of pride brewing as she watched Dinah fight. Barbara and Helena had taught her well.  
  
Suddenly, a door slid open at the end of the hallway and four more thugs, armed with various weapons, joined the fight. Cursing, she joined the battle.  
  
Dinah wasn't sure who it was that she was fighting beside, but she welcomed the assistance. Still fuzzy from the drug and preoccupied with the fight, she wasn't perfectly certain who she was by looking at her, but she thought the woman's voice sounded familiar as she shouted threats at her foes. Dinah struggled to keep her mind focused on the battle at hand, but the drug and the fast pace of the fight were making her dizzy. She tripped and one of the thugs capitalized on the error, swinging his tire iron at her midsection and catching her in the ribs.  
  
The mystery woman spun around at Dinah's pain induced scream. A look of fury settled on her features as Dinah fell to her knees. She moved in her direction and found her path blocked by three of the Joker's clown-faced thugs. Using the wall to her right as a spring board, she launched a spinning kick that took out two of her adversaries. Before dispatching the final one, she paused long enough to look over in Dinah's direction.  
  
What she saw spurred her rage to a new height. Dinah was lying on the floor, two of the Joker's henchmen standing over her. A cry of a fury erupted from the woman like none the henchmen had ever heard. The man standing directly to her left was the first recipient of that new-born fury as he found himself hurled face-first into the opposite wall with a resounding crack. He slid to the floor and remained there, twitching slightly.  
  
She turned toward the others. What they saw in her eyes made them back away in fear. Then the one thug seemed to remember he still held a tire iron in his hand and became bold once again. Stepping forward and preparing to swing the tire iron at the brunette's head, he was totally unprepared for what happened next. The woman executed a double somersault directly in front of him, her legs landing on either shoulder. She tightened her hold on his neck and then twisted. The bone-breaking snap was enough to send the last thug running out of the Clocktower.  
  
She didn't waste a moment coming to Dinah's side. Her blond hair was tarnished by the redness of the blood seeping through the large gash on the back of her head. As she gently turned the teen over, she heard the sound of running feet coming from the end of the hallway.  
  
Reinforcements, she thought. Dinah groaned, dragging her attention from the door at the end of the hallway.  
  
"Dinah?"  
  
The teen's eyes fluttered open and struggled to focus.  
  
"We have to get out of here. Can you walk?"  
  
"I.don't."  
  
The sound of footsteps grew louder and she knew it was only a matter of time before they reached the hallway. She placed Dinah's arm over her shoulder and hoisted her up. The teen lurched forward, her knees crumpling from under her and it was all she could do to keep Dinah upright as they made their way out of the Clocktower. She gently placed Dinah in the passenger seat of the Firebird.  
  
As she lovingly smoothed Dinah's hair back, Dinah's eyes focused on the woman's concerned features for the first time since she'd come to her rescue. Her eyes widened as recognition hit her hard.  
  
"Mom?! But you.you're." It was too much for Dinah to comprehend and the black edges around her field of vision were threatening to close in. She let them take over and sank into unconsciousness.  
  
A single tear coursed down Carolyn Lance's cheek as she leaned in over the unconscious form of her daughter and kissed her forehead. She closed the passenger door and hurried to the driver's side. Starting the engine, she paused for a moment as a sound from above made her look up toward the clock- face of the tower. The face had erupted into shards of glass as something was hurled through it.  
  
* * *  
  
"BITCH!!!"  
  
The Joker screamed in pain as the wheelchair muscled its way over his left foot. The heavy motor combined with the added electronic features was enough to crush the fragile bones. In a furious fit of rage, he slammed the business end of the revolver against Barbara's temple as she rode past.  
  
Huntress turned just in time to see the Joker's revolver connect with Barbara's skull. Furious beyond words, Huntress snarled as she pounced on the Joker. They fell to the floor hard, Huntress on top of the Joker, pummeling him with all her strength.  
  
Across the room, Harley had recovered from her tumble with the computer desk. Seeing her beloved being pummeled by her worst enemy, Harley grabbed the closest thing she could use as a weapon and headed straight for the pair.  
  
Barbara sat dazed. The room swam around her and everything she saw seemed distorted. She was vaguely conscious of a warm liquid making its way down the side of her face. She felt detached.as if viewing the room through someone else's eyes. She watched as Harley approached Huntress, hefting a computer keyboard. Her brain screamed Helena's name, but her mouth made no sound as Harley swung the keyboard with all her might.  
  
Huntress fell forward with the impact, dazed. Harley reached for the collar of Huntress' jacket and yanked Huntress off of the Joker.  
  
"No one.NO ONE.treats my Mr. J like that!!!!" Harley screamed in outrage as she tossed Huntress to the floor. She aimed a vicious kick at Huntress' midsection, then another, as Huntress struggled to rise. Reaching down and grabbing a fistful of Huntress' hair, Harley pulled her to her feet, then backhanded her across the face. As Huntress reeled backwards from the blow, Harley kept at her, delivering blows from each side relentlessly, backing Huntress into the very desk Harley had been thrown into moments before. Harley delivered a roundhouse punch that sent Huntress sprawling across and over the desk, landing with a crash on the other side.  
  
Barbara stared on, frustrated and fighting the darkness that threatened to overtake her, as Harley stalked her prey, making her way around the computer desk to where Huntress struggled onto a standing position. As Harley approached, Huntress aimed a roundhouse kick that left Harley sprawled on the floor, and Huntress staggering. As Huntress struggled to her feet, Harley, having no such trouble, rushed her adversary, knocking her to the floor inches from the Clocktower's glass clock-face.  
  
Barbara stared in horror as Huntress once again staggered to her feet. Instinctively, she knew what Harley would do next. It seemed to happen in slow motion as Harley dealt Huntress a powerful side kick. The last thing Barbara saw before the darkness finally took her was Huntress crashing through the glass face of the Clocktower. 


	8. A Return to Hell Part 8

Detective Jesse Reese, weapon drawn, cautiously entered the Clocktower through the side entrance. He noted the two clown-faced thugs lying in a crumpled unmoving heap in the hallway. He noted the drops.and sometimes smears.of blood on the floor as he approached the sliding door that led deeper into the hidden recesses of the Clocktower.  
  
Detective Reese noticed all of this as he edged forward with trepidation. He'd been sent here by an anonymous caller - not by Oracle or Huntress, but by a woman he didn't know who claimed to be a mutual friend. That didn't bode well. It meant that the girls had their hands full with the Clocktower invaders.  
  
As he rode the elevator up to the top floor of the Clocktower, Reese grew more tense, wondering what he would find when the doors opened. Steeling himself for the worst, he was still unprepared for the destructive scene before him as the elevator reached its final destination. The headquarters was a shambles, broken furniture, glass, computer components, paper and more strewn all about.  
  
Even more worrisome was the silence. As Detective Reese inspected the area, the silence threatened to close in on him, suffocate him - because the silence meant that he was too late. He advanced toward the remains of the tower's clock-face and stopped short. Lying amidst the shards of glass was a black-clad form.  
  
"Huntress!"  
  
Reese ran out to the balcony and knelt beside Helena, indifferent to the glass that cut into his knees.  
  
"Helena," he whispered, as he reached down to check for a pulse, praying he'd find one. Helena's eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Amazed to find Helena still alive, Reese reached for his cellphone to call for an ambulance, but Helena caught his hand before it could reach inside his jacket.  
  
"Reese." Her grip on his wrist was weak, her voice still weaker, and Reese had to strain his ears to hear her. "You have to stop him." As she spoke, she made a feeble attempt to pull herself up. The pain hit her in waves, each one worse than the first, and she cried out in agony.  
  
Reese's eyes widened in fear. He had never seen Helena in so much pain before.and the ground beside her was covered in her blood. He pulled out his cellphone and made the call, praying that they would get to the Clocktower in time.  
  
"Reese."  
  
"Easy, Baby.I'm here.Help's on its way."  
  
"No! You have to stop him!" Tears began to course down Helena's cheeks as she struggled to make Reese understand.  
  
Jesse reached out a hand and gently wiped the tears away. "It'll be okay, Helena."  
  
"No! You don't understand!...Barbara.He has her.The Joker has Barbara.you have to find him.stop him."  
  
"Shhh.we will, Baby. We'll find him.We'll get Barbara back.Helena? Helena! Stay with me, Baby. C'mon."  
  
But for all his words, Helena's injuries were too great, the pain too much to bear, and Helena sank into unconsciousness.  
  
* * *  
  
Detective Jesse Reese paced the floor in the waiting room outside the Emergency Room of New Gotham Memorial Hospital. He'd tried sitting, but after 10 minutes of that, he'd gotten up and begun pacing, much to the chagrin of several other waiting room patrons.  
  
"Detective Reese?"  
  
Jesse halted in mid-pace as he recognized the clear, concise pronunciation of his name. Relief flooding his features, he turned to greet Alfred, and found that he was not alone. Jesse's eyes narrowed as he took in the man standing beside the black-clad, ever-dapper butler. He had called Alfred as soon as he'd gotten to the hospital, knowing that Alfred would want to be here. But he had expected Alfred to come alone.  
  
"Dear God!"  
  
Alfred's face registered shock and dismay as he took in Jesse blood-soaked attire. Jesse looked down at the blood staining his clothing, at his blood- covered hands, and went pale. He took two steps and sank into one of the waiting room chairs, staring at his hands. It wasn't the sight of blood that made him feel ill. It was knowing just whose blood it was and seeing so much of it.  
  
Jesse hadn't bothered to wait for the ambulance. When Helena had lost consciousness, Jesse reacted instantly, scooping her up in his arms and racing to his car. Lights and siren blaring, Reese tore up the streets of New Gotham en route to the hospital, all the while praying that he'd get Helena there in time. He'd been so worried about getting her to the ER, about knowing what they were doing in there to her, that he hadn't even realized he was covered in her blood.  
  
"I.she.They won't tell me anything. I don't know if." Jesse tried to form words, but found they wouldn't come. He stared up at Alfred, then at the well-dressed stranger standing beside him. Tall, with a dark and somewhat broody countenance, there was something familiar about the stranger that Jesse couldn't quite place. The man reminded him of someone. As he wondered about that, the stranger gave Alfred a nod, and then headed toward the Nurse's Station. Alfred watched as he left, then sat beside Reese.  
  
"Don't worry, Detective. Master Bruce will find out."  
  
Jesse's eyes widened at Alfred's words.  
  
"You mean that's Bruce Wayne.the Bruce Wayne..Helena's father - that Bruce Wayne?"  
  
Alfred nodded in assent. "One in the same. Master Bruce has many friends here. Miss Helena will be well cared for."  
  
* * *  
  
Moments later, Reese found himself standing outside a private room in a little used section of the hospital. As it turned out, Helena's doctor was an old college friend of Bruce Wayne's and was indebted to the man for grants that the Wayne foundation had sent his way. It seemed that Dr. Brennan dabbled in research and Bruce Wayne had thought his research important enough to donate to his cause.  
  
Reese and Alfred waited outside the room while Dr. Brennan and Helena's father stood beside her bed, discussing her condition. Reese could barely control himself - he wanted so badly to be in that room; to by Helena's bedside. But Alfred had warned him to stay in the hallway until they were beckoned in by Wayne.  
  
And so Reese waited, peering in through the door's small window, wondering what the two were discussing.  
  
* * *  
  
"It's not safe for her here, Parker. If the Joker knows she's alive."  
  
"I know, Bruce, but she needs constant supervision right now. Her wounds are serious. And she lost so much blood. Had she not been a member of the Wayne family, I wouldn't have expected her to survive."  
  
"I understand. But if she stays here, it won't remain a secret for long." Bruce Wayne gazed at his daughter lying in the hospital bed. Most people would not have survived what she had. Her wounds were extensive and she had lost a great deal of blood. And although her meta-human genes would allow her to heal quickly, he wasn't sure how long it would take for her to be completely healed.  
  
He stroked his chin as he looked at Helena, in some ways so much like her mother and yet, there was a hint of his darkness within. He wished he had known about her long ago.wished Selina hadn't kept her a secret. But he understood the reasoning behind the secrecy. How safe would the daughter of Bruce Wayne, AKA: Batman, have been back then. No one was safe from the wrath of his enemies.not even Selina. She had been murdered in an effort to prove that fact.  
  
Murdered.  
  
"I have an idea."  
  
Turning to the doorway, he beckoned Alfred and Reese into the room. Reese made a move toward Helena's bedside, but Bruce grabbed his arm as he passed. Reese spun around to face Bruce, eyes blazing, giving Bruce one more reason to think highly of Jesse Reese. Bruce had already decided he'd liked the detective from the things Alfred had told him and the things he had observed about Reese tonight.  
  
"I need your help keeping Helena safe," Bruce explained.  
  
"Anything," Reese said, without hesitation.  
  
* * *  
  
Carolyn Lance stared at the television set, willing the report not to be true. She glanced over at her daughter, still unconscious on the bed in Carolyn's apartment.  
  
How am I gonna tell her this?  
  
Dinah stirred slightly and Carolyn jumped, momentarily forgetting the morose news report as she hurried to her daughter's side.  
  
"Dinah? Dinah, can you hear me?"  
  
Dinah moaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Opening her eyes, she could make out a blurry figure leaning over her. Dinah struggled to focus. As her vision cleared, she began to make out the concerned features of Carolyn Lance. Carolyn reached out a hand to brush a strand of hair out of her daughter's face, but Dinah flinched back.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Dinah's features displayed a mixture of anger and disbelief. Carolyn pulled her hand back. "How?! I saw the explosion. They told me you were dead!"  
  
Carolyn looked away from Dinah, the anger in her eyes cutting through her like daggers. "I was.in a way. The explosion.the flames." She halted as the painful memories assaulted her. She reached a shaky hand up to brush her hair out her eyes and her fingers brushed a scar just below the hairline.just one of the handful of painful reminders of her ordeal in the warehouse.  
  
"I barely managed to escape.there was fire everywhere."  
  
She shook her head, as if to erase the memory of the hot flames searing her flesh. "I.I was burnt.badly.My mind was reeling from the pain and all I could think of was running.running as far as I could from the flames that threatened to engulf me. I ran until I collapsed. I didn't know where I was.just that I couldn't run any longer."  
  
The anger began to slowly ebb from Dinah's eyes as she saw the pain in Carolyn's. She had felt the heat of the flames licking at their backs as the explosion threw them to the ground. But they had been outside the inferno, Carolyn had been inside. Dinah felt slightly ashamed at her anger, but there was still something she didn't understand.  
  
"If you were hurt, why didn't you go to the hospital? Why didn't you contact us?"  
  
Carolyn sighed. "If I could have, honey, I would have. But I lost consciousness, and when I awoke, I was lying on a cot in a lab. You see, there are still a few kind people in New Gotham willing to help, no questions asked and nothing asked for in return."  
  
She smiled at the memory. "He was taking out the trash when he spotted me slumped on the ground in the alley. Hale is a doctor at a local clinic and so, he took me to his clinic and patched me up as best as he could.  
  
When I was conscious and aware of my surroundings, Hale told me that I should really be in a hospital more equipped to handle my burns. He said he would have taken me sooner, but in my delirium, I begged him not to. I agreed to let him take me to a hospital outside New Gotham. While we were on the road, he told me about the warehouse fire and how a woman had been killed. He looked pointedly at me - I'm certain he knew - but never once asked if I was the woman that the police had presumed dead.  
  
Don't you see, Dinah? I'd heard the story of my so-called demise. And I knew Al Hawke had escaped police custody. You have almost been killed twice because of me. Hawke now knew your identity.knew how to get to me.through you! I had to let him think I was no longer a problem. I had to make him think I was dead. But in the process, I had to be dead to you as well. And it killed me, Dinah. I swear to you, nothing hurt more than to know I could never finish forging the bond we'd begun."  
  
Tears fell freely from Carolyn Lance's eyes as she looked into those of her daughter.  
  
"I waited until I knew Al Hawke was in prison.until I knew that he wouldn't escape custody this time. Then I started checking up on you. Through contacts at first - Hale and I have grown close and he was more than happy to help. Then on my own - at a distance. That's why I knew where to find you when the Joker's men took you. I was there.I couldn't prevent it, but I could sure as hell stop the Joker from hurting you!"  
  
Tears spilled from Dinah's own eyes as she realized how much her mother had gone through to protect her; how much she was willing to go through to keep her safe.  
  
"I'm sorry, Baby. I swear. I wish I could take all the pain away - from living with the Redmonds, from thinking I had died in that explosion, and now." Carolyn's voice trailed off.  
  
Dinah's eyes widened at her mother's words. And although she was certain she wasn't going to want to hear the answer, Dinah asked Carolyn to finish the statement.  
  
"And now.what? What aren't you telling me?"  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara opened her eyes and winced at the pain slicing across her skull.  
  
"Well, look who finally decided to join us?!" Harley Quinn sang out to her lover, the Joker. The green-haired clown-faced criminal sauntered over to join Harley as she leaned over Barbara where she lay on the floor of a cage.  
  
"Morning, Toots! How do ya like your new home?" The Joker cackled and Harley joined him. The sound echoed in the cage making Barbara moan in pain and cover her ears.  
  
"Awww.she doesn't seem to like it here, Mr. J. What's the matter, Barbara? Did my sweetie hit you too hard? He doesn't know his own strength sometimes, do you, Sweetie?"  
  
Harley turned to the Joker and batted her eyes. The Joker scoffed.  
  
"Hey! It was her own fault! Look what she did to my foot!" He pointed to his foot, now bandaged where Barbara had driven her wheelchair over it. "She deserved it! And she'll get more of the same if she doesn't give me what I want."  
  
Barbara pulled herself into a sitting position, leaning back against the bars of the cage. "What the hell might that be?" she asked, defiantly.  
  
"I wanna know where the bat-freak's hiding, Babs!"  
  
"Oh please! Do you really think I know that? And if I did, would I actually tell you?" Barbara laughed incredulously. "I'll be out of here soon, Joker. And when I am, you and Harley are going back to Arkham.forever this time."  
  
"Oh really," sneered Harley. "And who's gonna break you outta here, huh? Who's gonna come to your rescue, hmmm? Huntress? I very much doubt that! I very much doubt that dear Helena Kyle will ever don the mantle of Huntress again, much less come to your rescue! You see, the most she'll be donning is a wooden box. She's headed to the New Gotham cemetery as we speak!"  
  
Fear gripped Barbara's heart as she listened to Harley's words. She did her best to keep it hidden.  
  
It's a trick.a trick to make me think I'm alone. A trick to make me talk.  
  
Holding on to that hope with a vise grip, Barbara growled, "You're lying! Helena's fine. You may have put her out of commission for a round, but she's most certainly not out of the game. And when she comes for me."  
  
Barbara stopped as Harley threw back her head in laughter and ran toward a table on the opposite side of the room. Grabbing something off the table, she rushed back to the cage. As she neared, Barbara could see that Harley was holding the latest edition of the New Gotham Herald in her hand. She slapped the issue up against the cage, laughing and smugly reciting the title of the newspaper's front page spread.  
  
"Clocktower Disaster: New Gotham Mourns the Loss of the Wayne Heiress!"  
  
"NO!!!" Barbara dragged herself across the cage, lunging at Harley.  
  
Harley laughed as she backed away, then tossed the paper into the cage with Barbara, who sat staring at Helena Kyle's photo strategically placed in the center of the front page. The words on the page became blurred as the paper became wet from Barbara's tears.  
  
"So you see, dear, no one is coming to your rescue now." 


	9. A Return to Hell Part 9

Dinah sat staring out of the window at the alley below. There was nothing of particular interest to be seen in the alley, but it was the only window and Dinah needed to see the light of day. She'd been living in a nightmare for the past couple of days and she needed some proof that she was awake.  
  
She watched as a cat prowled the garbage cans in the alley below, searching for a left-over morsel to soothe its hunger. It was small consolation that life in the world outside Carolyn Lance's apartment was continuing even as Dinah's own fell apart.  
  
Dinah had finally found a place where she belonged. She'd finally found a family - people that treated her like she wasn't a freak. People who accepted her the way she was and even encouraged her to explore her abilities further. And she had finally come to grips with the fact that her mother was gone - this time for good.  
  
Now, in one night, all that she knew, all she believed in was dashed to pieces. Dinah glanced at the armchair where Carolyn Lance slept. Her mother was alive! Just to see her there - to watch the rise and fall of her chest as she slept - was incredible enough. But discovering that Carolyn had been watching over her from the shadows all this time was almost too much for Dinah to handle.  
  
If that wasn't bad enough, she had failed to get to the Clocktower in time to warn Barbara about the Joker and Harley's plans. Her failure had proven fatal for one of the members of her new family. Helena was gone and Dinah would never forgive herself. A tear made its way down Dinah's cheek as she thought of Helena, how she had pushed Dinah away at first, and then accepted her as a member of the family. She'd treated Dinah like a younger sister, showing her the ropes and giving her advice. And she had been there for her when Sylvestri.Dinah shook her head at the memory.  
  
She was so engrossed in thought that she hadn't noticed Carolyn had woken up and was now standing beside her. Carolyn glanced at the view of the alley, then concentrated her gaze on her daughter. Carolyn placed a hand on Dinah's shoulder making her jump.  
  
"Hey, it's just me," she said. "You okay?"  
  
Dinah looked at the woman she'd thought was lost to her forever and found that she couldn't find words to describe how she felt at the moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but as she looked up into Carolyn's sympathetic eyes, all that could escape was a sob. Carolyn pulled Dinah into an embrace, holding her daughter tightly as she smoothed her hair and spoke soothingly to her.  
  
"It's okay, Baby. Let it out. Let it out."  
  
Dinah stayed in her mother's embrace for a while. When the sobs faded and she pulled back, there was a look of determination on her face.  
  
"We have to find Barbara," she said. "We have to get her back."  
  
"Dinah." Carolyn began, but Dinah interrupted her.  
  
"NO! Don't say we can't! Don't say it's too dangerous! We have to find her! God knows what they're doing to her.what HE'S doing to her! I failed her once.I won't fail her again. I owe it to her to find her..I owe it to Helena."  
  
The tears began to fall again and Carolyn once again pulled her daughter into an embrace.  
  
"Oh, Honey, that wasn't your fault. You didn't fail anyone. You couldn't have gotten there in time. It was impossible, Dinah. I promise you, we'll find her."  
  
She held her daughter back so she could look into Dinah's eyes.  
  
"I promise.We will. But first, I have to get in touch with some old contacts. We can't rush headlong into this. As Oracle has always said, 'We need a plan'."  
  
As Dinah returned her mother's gaze, she knew what she was saying was true. She also knew that whatever contacts Carolyn was going get in touch with and whatever plan she was going to hatch had better happen quickly. There was no way that Dinah was going to sit back and wait while the Joker and Harley had Barbara in their clutches.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara lay curled in a corner of the cage the Joker had imprisoned her in. The newspaper Harley had thrown at her lay beside her. Every so often, Barbara would reach out and touch the photo on the front page, gently tracing Helena's face with her fingers as tears pooled on the floor of the cage. She hadn't known it was possible to cry this much, but every time she thought of Helena, the tears came yet again.  
  
The Joker and Harley had returned several times since she had first heard the news. They taunted her continuously. The Joker and Harley were trying to break Barbara's resolve - make her tell them where to find Batman. But even she didn't know where her mentor was, nor did she care at this moment.  
  
All she could do is stare at the newspaper photo and cry. Naturally, she blamed herself for what had happened. It mattered not that Helena was Batman's daughter and that the Joker would have gone after her eventually. What mattered to Barbara was that the Joker had come for her and Helena had died trying to save her.  
  
She could still see her as she crashed through the glass clock-face - could hear the glass shatter as if it were happening right there in the warehouse that was now her prison. She saw it all vividly, right down to the look of shock on Helena's face as she broke through the glass. She wished she could make the vision go away. She wished it had never happened. But more than anything, Barbara wished it were her picture on the front page of the paper instead of Helena's.  
  
* * *  
  
Detective Reese dropped the latest issue of the New Gotham Herald onto his desk. He ran a hand over his shaven pate and leaned back in his chair, sighing heavily. His partner, Detective McNally, studied his partner from the other side of Reese's desk. McNally noted the bloodshot eyes, the harried look, the beard stubble, the rumpled suit. He'd never seen Reese like this before, but he was certain he understood why.  
  
He'd seen the front page of the Herald and had thought of Reese instantly. McNally had seen Reese hanging around the girl that the paper toted as the Wayne heiress. He thought that they might have been a couple, but was unsure how serious a couple until this very moment. Looking at Reese, McNally could see he was more upset by the news than he would be if she had meant anything less to him.  
  
McNally was about to ask Reese about it - to suggest that maybe he take the day off - when the phone rang. Before McNally could think of answering it, Reese snatched up the receiver.  
  
"New Gotham P.D., Detective Reese speaking."  
  
McNally watched as Reese listened intently, slammed the receiver down, and raced out of the office. He shook his head and sighed.  
  
I'll never understand that kid, he thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Harley stared at the Joker with the intensity of a lovesick puppy as he contemplated his next move. It was quite obvious to him at this point that Barbara didn't know the whereabouts of his nemesis. He looked up at Harley and became instantly annoyed.  
  
"What the hell are you looking at?! Don't you have something to do?"  
  
"I can think of plenty of things to do, my green-haired Adonis. Most of which would involve you." Harley batted her eyelashes for emphasis.  
  
"Oh, would you please stop fawning and get with the program! Things become more difficult now. I have to figure out a way to use Gordon as a lure for the Bat-Freak. I could have used the daughter, but you just couldn't restrain yourself, could you?!"  
  
The Joker gave Harley Quinn a withering stare that deflated her flirtatious mood in an instant. She looked dejectedly at the floor, like a child scolded for having misbehaved.  
  
The Joker smiled inwardly at how quickly he could affect Harley's moods. She was putty in his hands and he enjoyed belittling her. He had never really liked her at all. She had just been a plaything at first - something to keep him occupied while he served his time in Arkham. After a while, she had become a means to an end - he would use her to get revenge on his enemies.  
  
But she had failed to do this herself and he was growing tired of her swooning over him. She still had some usefulness, so he kept her around, but soon that usefulness would end and he would get rid of her - one way or another. He almost laughed at the thought. In fact, the found the idea truly intriguing, but forced himself to concentrate on the matter at hand.  
  
"I have to find a way to get Batman's attention - to bring him to New Gotham to rescue Batgirl.Oracle.whatever. But without a location, I can't exactly drop him a ransom note!" He slammed his fist down on the table, causing Harley to jump slightly.  
  
She looked at the Joker with a mixture of fear, love and excitement. She had an idea - one she hoped would place her back in her dear Mr. J's good graces. 


	10. A Return to Hell Part 10

Reese had scarcely lay a finger on the buzzer when the security gate leading to Wayne Manor opened. He pictured Alfred watching the security cameras awaiting his arrival. He parked in the circular driveway and took the steps to the front door two at a time. Alfred had sounded excited when he called telling Reese that he had to return to Wayne Manor right away.  
  
It was with trepidation that Reese prepared to use the door knocker to announce his arrival. He was uncertain whether Alfred's call had meant good news or bad news. The door swing open and Reese was ushered in by one very happy butler, giving him the impression that Alfred indeed had good news to impart.  
  
"Detective, I'm glad you could come so quickly!" Alfred rushed him toward the rear of the mansion, taking Reese's coat as they went. They traveled up the winding staircase to the second floor.  
  
"Alfred, what's happened? Is she.is she okay?"  
  
Alfred stopped and turned to face Reese as they reached their destination. There was a mischievous gleam in the butler's eye as he knocked on the door at the end of the hallway.  
  
"Okay? Well, you'll have to surmise that for yourself, Detective."  
  
The door swung open and Reese was met by one of the many medical personnel attending to the needs of Helena Kyle at Bruce Wayne's insistence.  
  
"She's only just regained consciousness. She's still a bit groggy and uncertain, but Alfred has assured me that you will be a most comforting prescience at this point in her recovery." The nurse quickly ushered Jesse to Helena's bedside.  
  
Helena's eyes were closed, but immediately blinked open as Reese gently took her hand in his own. She looked so different from the day he had first met her. That day, he'd met a hellcat, ready to kick some ass and take names. She was larger than life - laughed at life, in fact. Now, she looked so tiny lying in the hospital bed her father had arranged to be moved into this guest room. Attached to monitors and IVs, Helena looked nothing like her alter ego. She looked fragile - broken - and there was a hint of fear in those blue eyes as she took in her surroundings with confusion.  
  
"What.?" Her eyes focused on Reese. She licked her dry lips and prepared to speak again, her voice sounding raspy and unrecognizable to her own ears.  
  
"What am I doing here?" she asked. "Wayne Manor? Why?" Reese was taken aback. He hadn't expected Helena to recognize her surroundings so quickly. He pulled up a chair and sat beside her.  
  
"We had to bring you here. The hospital wasn't safe. Your father."  
  
"My.father/! He's here?!" Helena's quickly changed from blue to the peculiar cat's eyes that she displayed in times of extreme emotion - in this case anger. Reese noted that they just as quickly regained their former color as the flare of anger receded.  
  
"Why is he in New Gotham?"  
  
"Alfred contacted him, Helena, and with good reason. He's your father - he should be here. Especially now." Reese reached out and stroked Helena's cheek with the back of his hand. "I for one am glad he showed up. I could never have protected you from the Joker and Harley as effectively. And he'll be invaluable in searching for Barbara and Dinah."  
  
At the mention of the two women, Helena's eyes began to sparkle with tears. In a tiny voice, she asked Reese for news of any leads. He wished he had something to give her, but the Joker and Harley had left no clues as to where they might have taken Barbara. And he still had no clue as to where they might have secreted Dinah. He hoped that with his connections as Batman, Bruce Wayne would have more success than he was having.  
  
"I'm sorry, honey. We're still trying. Right now, I have cops scouring every nook and cranny in New Gotham, interviewing every informant, looking for any leads. I don't know what else to do."  
  
The look in her eyes just about broke his heart. Tears fell in streams as she closed her eyes to his words. Her eyes were still closed when she answered him, visions of Barbara and Dinah in the Clocktower - the people she considered her family more so than her own father - floating in the darkness behind them.  
  
"We have to find them, Reese. Dinah - she's just a kid. Harley will eat her for breakfast. And Barbara.the Joker - that bastard! God knows what he has planned for her."  
  
She paused, taking in a ragged breath as the endless possibilities assailed her. When she opened her eyes again, Reese witnessed in them a sorrow that went beyond description.  
  
"I failed her. I failed her, Reese! I was supposed to protect her.save her from him. And I failed! And now he has her. He has her and he's free to do all he wants to her. I should have stopped him.I should have."  
  
Reese rose out of his chair and bent down over Helena. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close as she cried, but the lacerations on her back had not yet healed and he didn't want to cause her any physical pain in addition to the mental anguish she was already suffering. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and leaned forward, rested his forehead against hers.  
  
"It's not your fault, baby," he whispered. "You tried. There was nothing else you could do. We'll find them. I made you that promise and I intend to keep it. But you have to stop beating yourself up. You didn't cause this and you did everything you could to keep Barbara safe."  
  
He tilted his head up and kissed each tear-filled eye, whispering soothingly as he kissed away the tears. Then, he rested his cheek against hers, gently smoothing her hair with his left hand as she grasped his right with all her strength.  
  
* * *  
  
Jesse silently slipped out of the room and into the hallway. He leaned back against the door. Somehow, he would have to think up an explanation for running out on McNally this morning. Shaking his head, Reese began to walk toward the stairs, intent on returning to the precinct to finish his tour.  
  
"Leaving so soon, Detective?"  
  
Reese jumped. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts, he hadn't seen Alfred standing at the foot of the stairs, eyebrows raised in surprise.  
  
"I have to get back to work. Besides, Helena's sleeping. She asked about Barbara and Dinah and got so upset when I didn't have any leads that the nurse had to give her a sedative. I should be back before she wakes."  
  
"Very well, Detective. I'll keep an eye on her in your stead."  
  
As Alfred walked him to the door, Reese struggled with a thought that had been nagging at him since he had arrived.  
  
"Alfred, where is Helena's father? I haven't seen him since that day in the hospital. Why isn't he upstairs with Helena?"  
  
Alfred had stretched out a hand to open the door for the detective. His hand now rested on the handle of the door as he contemplated Reese's question. He turned to face Reese.  
  
"Master Bruce has been seeing to the details of his plan to keep Miss Helena safe. Rest assured he's been keeping careful watch over Miss Helena's condition."  
  
Reese nodded, though he was not quite certain if he bought Alfred's explanation. From the things Helena had told him, Reese was guessing that Bruce Wayne was acting true to character of late - he was hiding from any kind of confrontation with his daughter.  
  
Noting the expression on Reese's face as he opened the door for him, Alfred understood that the detective had not quite accepted the explanation he had offered. Alfred frowned as Reese made his way to his car. He couldn't say that he blamed the detective. After all, he had hardly believed his proffered explanation of Master Bruce's behavior toward his daughter.  
  
Once Reese had pulled out of the driveway, en route to New Gotham P.D., Alfred closed the door and headed toward the study. He'd made up his mind. He needed to speak with Master Bruce right away.  
  
* * *  
  
"I want to go to the funeral!" Dinah yelled, anger clouding her features.  
  
"Honey, I know you do, but."  
  
"But nothing! Helena's family! I couldn't stop what happened. I couldn't get there in time to save her! And now you're telling me that I can't even be there when she's laid to rest!"  
  
Carolyn glanced at the nightstand as the assorted items laying atop it began to shake. The whole stand in fact was shaking, and Carolyn knew she had to calm her daughter's temper before the items on the nightstand - or perhaps the nightstand itself - became a telekinetic projectile.  
  
"Dinah.please listen to me. The Joker and Harley are going to be keeping their eyes on that funeral. You told me yourself that they asked you several questions pertaining to Batman's whereabouts. They'll be looking to see whether or not he will make an appearance at his daughter's funeral.  
  
"Right now, they have no idea that you survived that fire. You can't be there, Dinah. If we're going to find Barbara - if we're going to put a stop to the Joker and Harley - they can't know you survived. You're our ace-in-the-hole, Dinah. I don't have my canary cry to fall back on here. I lost that in the warehouse explosion. I have no idea if it will ever return, but right now it's gone.  
  
"We need the element of surprise. The Joker knows how to stop you, but if he doesn't know you are alive, he won't have made any preparations to keep you at bay. We need to keep his guard down. Especially if my contacts can't or won't help us. Do you understand?"  
  
Dinah glared at her mother, but the nightstand's rattling slowly subsided.  
  
"You're contact - it's Bruce Wayne, isn't it? Why would you think he would lift a finger to help us?"  
  
Carolyn sighed. "They killed his daughter, Dinah. They have his protégé. Why wouldn't he help?"  
  
"For the same reason that he disappeared after the Joker had Helena's mother killed. The same reason he disappeared after the Joker shot Barbara. The same reason he took off before Helena fully recovered from her bout with Wade. He's a coward."  
  
Carolyn Lance gaped at her daughter in shock.  
  
"How can you say that about him? Do you have any idea how much he's risked over the years to keep the people of Gotham safe? He's gone out of his way, risking life and limb to face the world's worst criminals and put them behind bars. How dare you call him a coward!"  
  
Dinah shrugged and walked over to sit by the window. Gazing out at the alley below, she answered, "Ya know, Barbara once shared the same delusions about the great Batman as you do. Helena always knew better. Barbara had to find out the hard way and, I guess, so will you. The man you once knew - the courageous man who risked all for Gotham - he's changed. He's not going to help - you'll see. Then you'll understand."  
  
* * *  
  
Bruce turned as one of the many hidden entrances to the Bat Cave slid open, revealing Alfred, carrying a tray.  
  
"I thought you might be hungry and took the liberty of preparing something for you."  
  
"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce returned his attention to the bank of computer monitors.  
  
Alfred set the tray down and cleared his throat, causing Bruce to divert his attention from the screens once more. He arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Is there something else, Alfred?"  
  
"If I may, Master Bruce?"  
  
Bruce nodded for Alfred to continue.  
  
"I've been wondering when you were going to visit with Miss Helena."  
  
An exasperated sigh escaped Bruce Wayne's lips.  
  
"Alfred, I've been keeping a very close watch on her condition. As it is, she's lucky to be alive. She's in a frail state right now, Alfred. Visiting her isn't going to help her recovery."  
  
"I disagree, Master Bruce. Visiting her, assuring her that you're doing everything you can to find Miss Barbara and Miss Dinah - I'm sure it would only assist in her recovery."  
  
"I am doing all that I can to find them. Telling her that isn't going to make the situation any better. Besides, I'm certain that seeing me will only anger her. And I can't say that I blame her. I haven't exactly been the model parent."  
  
Bruce turned away from Alfred, but the butler and long-time friend was not finished.  
  
"Master Bruce, that is exactly why you should visit her. You need to explain to Miss Helena that she is not alone in this fight. That you are in this battle with her. That you are here for her. Right now, she only hates you because she is certain you have abandoned her. And, dare I say, that your past behavior does little to discredit that opinion.  
  
"Miss Helena has suffered a great loss. In her mind, Miss Barbara and Miss Dinah were all the family she had left. She needs to know that isn't the case."  
  
Bruce turned back to face his life-long friend. Alfred raised an eyebrow at Bruce, daring him to challenge Alfred's statements. Sighing, Bruce Wayne rose from his computer chair and walked past Alfred toward the entrance to the Wayne Manor library. 


	11. A Return to Hell Part 11

Bruce Wayne sat alone in his study, thinking. The room was dark, a single shaft of moonlight the only source of illumination. He enjoyed the darkness. Wrapped in its darkest shadows, Bruce could find solitude. He could hide in its deepest folds - hide from the pain and anguish the world had to offer.  
  
But for once, Bruce Wayne was unable to find comfort in the darkness. Peace eluded him as he wrestled with his inner demons. As he sat staring into the black night, visions of the past replayed in his mind. Visions of the night that began with the promise of hope and ended in disaster and defeat. The night he brought the Joker to his knees. The night the Joker rose up from the ashes to take revenge on those he cared about.  
  
Bruce had been celebrating his victory when he heard the news of the Joker's escape. The Joker's revenge had been swift and brutal. The Joker had known of Batman's relationship with Catwoman and had been waiting for the opportune time to use it against him. Just as Batman had taken away all that the Joker had loved, the Joker would take away the only woman Batman had ever truly loved.  
  
But the Joker wouldn't allow Selina's murder to be the only source of revenge he had on Batman. No. The Joker had put a great deal of time and energy into the growth of his crime syndicate. He had to show Batman what it was like to lose something that he had taken time to nurture; to mentor. The Joker wanted to show Batman what it was like to put so much time and energy into building something, and then watch helplessly as it was all torn apart. And this, the Joker would see to personally.  
  
The news of Selina's death and Barbara's injuries had come as a devastating blow to Bruce. The blame he placed upon himself was too heavy to bear. The pain he had caused the people he loved cut him to the bone. It was more than he could deal with. He couldn't stay in New Gotham. Everything was a constant reminder of what had happened that night.of what he had lost.what they had all lost.  
  
A gentle rap on the door of the study tore Bruce away from torturous thoughts of the past, as did the harsh light emanating from the partially open door. "Yes, Alfred." His voice sounded tired, defeated to his own ears.  
  
"I am about to retire to my quarters and was wondering if there were anything else you might need."  
  
"No, Alfred. Thank you."  
  
"Very well." Alfred began to close the door and then thought better of it. "Oh, and Master Bruce.I do hope you will reconsider your decision on what we discussed earlier." With that, Alfred shut the door, leaving Bruce to think about what his lifelong friend had suggested.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena was dreaming.or was it a dream? It all seemed so real. She was back in the Clocktower. Barbara sat across from her, a gun held to her head by the firm grip of the Joker. He taunted Helena; dared her to attack him. She fought the desire, the need to see his blood on her hands. She held back the rage within because she feared for Barbara's life. She was certain that one false move would be all it took to get the Joker to pull that trigger. And so she stood seething with all the hate she'd built up for the bastard since the night of her mother's death.  
  
But something in his eyes, his stance, something in the way he began to laugh - that sinister blood-chilling cackle - told her that she had made a mistake. In the instant that the realization hit her, a bright flash erupted from the muzzle of the Joker's gun.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"  
  
Helena bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. The pain struck immediately leaving her breathless. A nurse rushed to her side and gently lay Helena back down. She smoothed the covers around her charge and checked on her vitals. Helena stared into the shadows of the darkened room, frustrated by the pain and the grogginess that once again threatened to overtake her.  
  
She caught a faint glimpse of a silhouette cloaked in shadow in the corner of the room, watching. Anger burned within her so fiercely she shook with its fury.  
  
"You never will stop hiding, will you?! You hid while Mom's killer went free! You hid while Barbara struggled to rebuild her life! I don't know what Barbara or my Mom ever saw in you. Hero? Ha! You're nothing but a coward!!"  
  
The silhouette shrank back into the corner as if seeking to make itself one with the shadows there - to disappear in its welcoming darkness - while Helena spat hateful words at it like so much venom. Finally, it was driven from the room, slipping quietly through the door.  
  
Helena leaned back into the pillow, the hate and anger quickly being replaced by pain and fatigue. Tears of frustration slipped down her cheeks as she recovered from the bout of rage she had unleashed upon the man in the shadows.the man she knew as her father.  
  
Father! Yeah, right!  
  
Her thoughts turned to Barbara and Dinah and the tears flow more freely. They, along with Alfred, were her family - the only family she had known since her mother's death. Her hands unconsciously curled into fists at the thought of the people she loved in the clutches of the likes of Harley Quinn and the Joker. She closed her eyes and prayed silently - prayed for her strength to be restored, for Barbara and Dinah to be found, for a chance at Harley and the Joker. But most of all, she prayed that it all would happen soon.and that it wouldn't be too late.  
  
Please don't let me lose them to that bastard the way I lost Mom! Please!  
  
* * *  
  
Once safely in the hallway, Bruce Wayne leaned back against the door and closed his eyes. Anger raged inside him and he longed for an outlet for that anger. He stalked down the hallway quickly putting distance between himself and his daughter.  
  
He entered his study and slammed the door. With a rigid step, Bruce made his way over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He picked up the whiskey-filled glass and crossed the room to his desk. He sat down, placing the glass on the desk, and studied the amber liquid within. Then, with one swift motion, he swept his right arm across the desk, hurling its contents, along with the whiskey-filled glass, to the floor. He slammed his fists on the desk, the pain of soft flesh meeting that of hard wood barely registering in his rage.  
  
Bruce closed his eyes and struggled to regain control of his emotions. Behind those closed lids, Bruce could see Selina as clearly as if she stood in the room before him. He could hear her voice in his ears as she argued with him - their last argument - about leaving the life of crime fighting behind. He heard the anger in her voice; the pain. She had tried to get him to reconsider his decision, but Bruce had been adamant about remaining a crimefighter, and in the end, it was what had destroyed their relationship.  
  
Oh, Selina.God how I miss you. He buried his head in his hands. She reminds me so much of you. Her eyes, her voice.they're yours. I wonder if she knows how much she resembles you.  
  
He thought back to the day when Selina had left New Gotham behind to pursue her new life, leaving her criminal past behind. He had been angry at first, but eventually realized that she could never be happy as long as he placed her second to his life's work. As long as he continued to fight crime, Selina would always come second and it wasn't in Selina's nature to stand coming in second to anything or anyone. But he wasn't ready to leave the life, and so he let her go, and the pain lessened in time.  
  
When she returned to New Gotham, a daughter in tow, Bruce had been surprised at his reaction. He was instantly jealous of the man that had won Selina's heart, fathering the beautiful child that she doted on incessantly. And in that moment, Bruce realized that he had never stopped loving Selina. He promised himself that once he had completed his mission - once he had rid New Gotham of its chief criminal element - he would give it all up in pursuit of happiness. He had foolishly hoped that he could win Selina back.  
  
He had come close to carrying out his dream. He had brought the Joker to his knees, never realizing the price that would be paid for his victory. Hearing the news of Selina's death was like having a long-sword thrust in his chest. Realizing that her death was his fault twisted that sword and rend his heart to pieces.  
  
That, combined with what the Joker had done to Barbara, had forced Bruce to leave New Gotham. He could no longer call this place home. Everywhere he looked he saw pain. Bruce couldn't stand it. He hated himself for the pain he had caused the people he loved most. Everywhere he looked he found a constant reminder of the suffering he'd inflicted on them. And so he had fled New Gotham, not even returning when Alfred informed him that Selina's daughter was, in fact, his own.  
  
He'd had nothing to offer Helena then. Pain and anguish had left him an empty shell, devoid of feeling. Helena needed nurturing. She needed someone who could give her love freely. This was something Bruce no longer knew how to do and so he provided for her, by sending money to Barbara to ensure that Helena had everything she desired. It wasn't enough and he knew it, but it was all he had to give.  
  
And now, Bruce knew he shouldn't blame her for hating him - for calling him a coward. When had he shown her any reason to feel differently? He hadn't been there for her when her mother died; hadn't been there for the difficult years following Selina's death. And when he had shown up - when Barbara had called on him in desperation to help save Helena's life - he had only stayed long enough to ensure that she would survive.  
  
Bruce sighed. He just couldn't face Helena. Every time he looked at Helena, he saw Selina and was instantly reminded of how he had failed his one true love. In his mind's eye he had killed Selina as surely as if he had been the one to plunge the knife into her chest. Why wouldn't Helena hate him? He hated himself.for what had happened to Selina.to Barbara. And now, she had a new reason to hate him. His nemesis was back and was once again harming those she held dear.  
  
But this time, things will be different, Bruce vowed. This time, I won't fail you, Helena. I'll find them and bring them to safety.then I'll have my revenge on the Joker! 


	12. A Return to Hell Part 12

Carolyn hurried back to the apartment as dawn embraced New Gotham. Carolyn had left while Dinah was sleeping and she wanted to be back before she awakened to find her mother gone. She hated leaving Dinah alone, but Carolyn had to get hold of her contact and she couldn't do it from the apartment. The paranoia that Carolyn had learned long ago as an undercover operative was ingrained. She trusted Dinah of course, but Carolyn couldn't shake the feeling she had to speak with her contact alone.  
  
Carolyn shook her head as she expertly guided the Firebird through the streets of New Gotham. She hadn't actually spoken to her contact. Instead, she had to settle for trusting a middle man to deliver the message and arrange for a meet. As Carolyn pulled in to a parking space, she frowned. Dinah wasn't going to be happy with what she had done, but Carolyn was certain that Bruce Wayne wouldn't let the Joker get away with murder this time. At least, that was Carolyn's fervent hope.  
  
* * *  
  
Light flares across her field of vision. She catches a glimpse of green; a clown-like face. She hears sinister laughter, a loud clap, a scream. And suddenly the light that blinds her softens, revealing a sight so unbearable, she screams.  
  
"BARBARA! NO!"  
  
The sound of Dinah's scream chilled Carolyn to the bone and she raced the length of the hallway to her apartment. Her heart skipped a beat as she thrust open the door, silently cursing her self for leaving her daughter alone and vulnerable. She entered the apartment, prepared to tear the heart out of her daughter's attacker.  
  
But the apartment was empty, save for the blonde teenager sobbing on the bed at the far end of the room. Carolyn rushed to Dinah's side and cradled her in her arms as she cried.  
  
"It's okay, Baby. It's just a dream. It's okay. Shhh."  
  
Dinah pulled back, tears streamed down her face as she stared directly into her mother's eyes.  
  
"No! You don't understand! It's not a dream! They're never just dreams! I saw what the Joker did to Barbara! I saw Helena's mother die! I saw Helena..And now Barbara! I saw her! I.saw."  
  
Her words became incoherent as painful sobs wracked her body. Carolyn pulled Dinah close, holding her tightly, hoping against hope that Dinah's dream was just that - a dream and not a premonition.  
  
* * *  
  
Bruce glared at the blank television screen, eyes ablaze with fury. Beside him lay a simple manila envelope delivered by Detective Reese an hour ago. He turned his attention to the envelope - normal, but for the two words written in large black block letters: ATTENTION: BAT-FREAK. Reese had found the package on his desk when he had arrived for work that day. He asked around the station, but no one remembered having seen anyone place the package there. Knowing who the package was meant for, Reese had rushed it over to Wayne Manor. Alfred had accepted the package from Reese and sent him off to visit with Helena while he delivered it to Bruce.  
  
Bruce had been hesitant to open it at first - had even run the package through a quick scan to ensure it was safe to do so. The package contained a single video cassette, nothing more. Before Bruce had viewed the tape, he had inwardly cringed, imagining just what the Joker might want him to see. Now that he had viewed it, Bruce realized that he had not been fully prepared for what he had seen. And if he had been unprepared for what he had seen.  
  
Bruce glared at the television a moment longer, as if he could somehow burn a hole into the Joker through the airwaves. Finally, he rose and ejected the tape, leaving the study and heading off toward Helena's room. Bruce paused outside her door wondering if he should show her the tape. But in the end, he knew that he had to. Regardless of the pain it would cause, Helena needed to see what was on that tape. He knocked once, then entered.  
  
"What the hell do you want?!" Helena growled, rearing forward in her bed.  
  
"Helena!" Reese placed a firm hand on Helena's shoulder, fearful that she might spring out of the bed and attack her father.  
  
Bruce ignored the hate in Helena's voice, the threat in her movements, and held up the video tape.  
  
"I have something you should see," he said, his voice devoid of the emotions that were churning inside him. "The Joker has made contact."  
  
Helena's eyes widened. She eased back against the pillows as Bruce walked over to the television at the opposite end of the room. He placed the video in the VCR, then turned to face Helena.  
  
"I have to warn you.You're not going to like what you see."  
  
Helena's eyes narrowed at Bruce's warning, then focused upon the television screen as it came to life. Insane laughter filled the room as the Joker and Harley danced into view. Joker's clown-like features filled the screen as he leaned in to the camera.  
  
"Knock, knock! AAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAA! Long time, no see, Bat- Freak! Oh, how I've missed you! Would have said hello sooner, but Arkham can be sooo uncooperative when it comes to outside visits. Thought I may never have the chance to see my old friends again, but suddenly, opportunity sprung! HAHAHA! Get it? Sprung?"  
  
"Sprung! Ha! Good one, Mr.J!"  
  
"But of course! Anyway, Bats, I've been trying to find you. Wanted to drop by and say hi. But folks around here can be sooo damn uncooperative! Isn't that right, Harley."  
  
"Oh, yes, Mr. J. I mean, just look at what happened when we asked Helena Kyle." Harley's face took on an expression of mock-sadness. "Here I was thinking she was dying to tell us.when all she was doing was just.well.dying."  
  
"Made a smashing exit though." Again, the insane laughter filled the room as the two criminals reveled in their perceived cleverness.  
  
"I even asked an old protégé of yours, but she's just been so.well.see for yourself."  
  
The picture blurred as the camera was turned. When the picture came back into focus, every muscle in Helena's body tensed. The camera had come to rest on a woman. Her arms were suspended above her head by chains. Her bowed head and limp body suggested that the woman was unconscious. Helena silently prayed that the vision on the screen was someone else, anyone else. But the shock of red hair covering the woman's features was unmistakable.  
  
"Wake up, Starlett. It's time for your close-up!" Harley grabbed a handful of the prisoner's hair and forced her head back. Helena gasped as Harley revealed Barbara's face and the Joker focused the camera in on the bruised and bloody features of her mentor. Barbara grit her teeth in pain, but didn't make a sound. Instead she glared straight ahead, the look on her face that of pure hatred.  
  
"Say hello to your old pal, Batman. I've been telling him how uncooperative you've been in helping me track him down. And all I wanted to do is pay a friendly visit and discuss old times. Tssk tssk. Ah well. Maybe you'll change your mind now. After all, it must be boring for you.just hanging around and all. Maybe you'll decide to inject a little excitement into all this. Waddya say, Sweetheart?"  
  
Barbara continued to glare at the Joker for several seconds. Then, slowly, she dropped her eyes to the floor. In a dejected tone, she muttered, "Alright. Alright.." The rest of the sentence was inaudible.  
  
"Babs, Babs, Babs. Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's impolite to mumble? You're a teacher for crying out loud! You oughta know better. Now speak up so the rest of the class can hear!"  
  
Joker leaned forward in eager anticipation as Barbara took a deep breath. She locked eyes with the Joker, then jut her head forward and down, slamming her head into the Joker's nose with a resounding crunch. Joker howled in pain and moved out of the camera's range.  
  
Watching the scene play out, Helena had to smile. She had seen the spark of defiance in Barbara's eyes; the hatred. She knew Barbara well enough to predict just what she was about to do. The sound of the Joker's nose shattering was enough to make Helena want to shout out in victory. But the smile left Helena's face as soon as a very angry Harley Quinn entered the picture. She attacked the shackled Barbara with a vengeance, protesting the injury inflicted upon her lover and hurling obscenities, punctuating each sentence with a particularly vicious blow.  
  
As Helena watched Harley's hellacious attack on Barbara, she imagined she could feel every punch, every kick, every blow to Barbara's already badly beaten body. She clenched her hands so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood. Helena's jaw tightened and her eyes began to change shade as she watched Harley Quinn torture her mentor, her best friend, her family, while she lay there helpless to stop her.  
  
The Joker visage once again filled the screen, his nose a bloody red pulp, his eyes searing with anger and pain.  
  
"Meet me at the Gotham Publishing, Inc. warehouse at midnight tomorrow, Bat-Freak! You don't show up." The Joker turned and pointed at Barbara, who was once again unconscious, kept aloft only by the shackles that bound her to the room's ceiling. Helena's teeth ground together as Harley delivered a particularly vicious kick to Barbara's kidneys. ".You don't show up and I promise you, you won't be able to recognize what's left of your former protégé." The Joker reached out a hand toward the camera and the screen went black.  
  
Helena continued to stare at the blank screen, her body shaking with the force of rising adrenaline. Suddenly, she tore off the covers, spun around and planted her feet on the floor. Bruce Wayne rushed to the side of the bed before she could get any further.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.  
  
"Did you see what they just did to her?! Haven't we waited long enough?! Or are you going to let them kill her?! I won't lay here, hiding, while they use Barbara for a punching bag.or worse!" Helena stared straight into her father's eyes, daring him to stop her.  
  
"And where will you go? How do you intend to stop them? What's your plan?" he asked, calmly.  
  
"My plan?! Ha! My plan is to get Barbara away from those bastards! That's my plan! But don't worry, you don't have to come along! We all know how fearful of the Joker you are! No big deal! I'll do it myself!" She ignored the pain in her back and headed toward the door.  
  
"Really?" Bruce asked. In one deft movement, he caught Helena's right wrist and twisted it behind her back. The pain in her back soared to new heights and she found herself forced to her knees. Her father dropped to one knee beside her and spoke calmly in her ear. "I have every intention of helping Barbara - rescuing her from those psychotic goons. But we need help, Helena. You're in no condition to do this alone, and I.well.it's been a while. I'm meeting a contact for lunch who is willing to help. I know that I've never given you a reason to trust me before, so I'm asking you to go on blind faith here. You can't help Barbara if you are too weak and end up captured as well. I promise you, we'll get Barbara away from them - alive - but you have to trust me."  
  
Helena twisted her face to glare at that of her father, the cat-like eyes staring directly into Bruce's own. His gaze was unwavering and Helena turned away at last, looking down at the floor.  
  
"Alright. I'll wait. But you had better come up with a way to get her out." Her eyes met his once again. "Or I swear, I'll kill you myself." 


	13. A Return to Hell Part 13

Bruce Wayne took another sip of his water and glanced again toward the entrance to the restaurant. He was early to meet his contact, but he couldn't help being impatient. Sitting here, out in the open, in a crowded diner was not exactly his style. Nor did he enjoy the feeling of being exposed. He had been away from New Gotham for quite some time and he felt out of place.especially in an establishment such as this. Bruce had been raised for finer tastes - classy restaurants with moneyed clientele - but his contact had insisted on this meeting place.  
  
Bruce hated to admit it, but he was a bit nervous about this meeting. He wasn't quite sure who the contact was. The contact had used an extremely old code in contacting him. He had warned Alfred that this might be a trap and that if it was, Alfred should contact Dick Grayson in Bludhaven to affect Barbara's rescue. Alfred had raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, asking why Bruce hadn't contacted Dick in the first place. Bruce had ignored the question at the time, but now, he had to admit that the reason he hadn't contacted Dick was that there were too many unresolved issues between them.  
  
Still, it would have been safer contacting Dick Grayson than meeting the unknown contact. Bruce thought about the message he had found on his computer. The code was old, but valid, and few knew how to contact him through the bat cave's computer network. But the message was vague and cryptic, the tone urgent. And the contact knew things.private things.that had been inserted in the message as a way to instill trust.  
  
A strikingly beautiful brunette walked into the diner and stopped in the entrance. Bruce watched as the woman scanned the room, seemingly looking for someone in particular. She seemed familiar to Bruce, but he couldn't place the face.especially while she was still wearing the sunglasses she had on when she walked into the diner. Suddenly, the brunette focused in on Bruce's table, and instantly he was certain that this was his contact. She moved deliberately toward his table and Bruce could tell that she was trying very hard to restrain the urge to run toward the table.  
  
"Is this seat taken?" she asked, gazing down at him.  
  
That voice..it can't be. She's dead.Alfred told me.  
  
"Carolyn?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Miss Helena, do you really think you should be doing that?" Alfred asked, a look of concern clouding his features as he watched Helena punch the bag in the Wayne Manor gymnasium.  
  
"I have to get back into fighting shape. Something tells me that the Joker and Harley aren't gonna let Barbara go just because we ask politely."  
  
"Of course not, Miss Helena, but you are just getting back on your feet. You need more time to recuperate."  
  
Helena paused for a moment, grabbing the bag to stop its swing. She turned to face Alfred. "Time is one luxury we don't have right now, Alfred. We have to rescue Barbara now. If we wait any longer." Helena was reluctant to finish the statement for fear that saying it would make it a reality. Instead, she went back to work on the punching bag.  
  
Alfred watched for a moment longer, then left shaking his head. He knew that trying to talk Helena out of joining Bruce in rescuing Barbara would be impossible. In Helena's eyes, Barbara was family. That made this rescue mission personal, and she was not about to trust something that personal to Bruce Wayne, even if he was her father.perhaps in spite of the fact based upon his past track record. Alfred returned to the main room just in time to witness Bruce Wayne's return.  
  
"Ah, Master Bruce! I trust the luncheon was rather.uneventful."  
  
"Well, it wasn't a trap. But I wouldn't exactly say that the luncheon was uneventful." Bruce headed toward the study, but paused at the door. "Is Helena awake?"  
  
Alfred sighed. "More than awake. She's in the gym. I dare say she's over-exerting herself in an effort to prepare for this rescue mission. Perhaps you could speak with her on the matter?"  
  
Bruce arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, it certainly won't do either of you any good if she overdoes it before the mission," Alfred explained.  
  
Bruce stifled a laugh. Alfred tended to adopt a sanctimonious air when he knew he was right - something Bruce missed in all the time he'd been away. He turned away from the study.  
  
"Yes, I'm certain you're right. Good call, Alfred." On his way to the Wayne Manor gymnasium, Bruce tossed back over his shoulder, "You'll be pleased to now we'll be having company soon. When they arrive, please show them into the study."  
  
* * *  
  
Bruce entered the gym silently and watched as his daughter pummeled the unknown foe represented by the heavy bag. Her jaw was set in grim determination. Her whole concentration was thrown into destroying her enemy as she landed blow after devastating blow, each hit a resounding echo in the near empty gym.  
  
Her attack grew more frenzied by the moment, all technique abandoned, and Bruce knew who it was Helena was imagining standing before her. Sweat poured down her face, trickled down her neck and back, as she continued to batter the heavy bag.  
  
Finally, the quickness and ferocity of her attack began to wane as her strength faded. Helena threw a couple more punches for good measure, then grabbed the heavy bag to stop its pendulant motion. She leaned her head against the bag, struggling to slow her breathing.  
  
She swiped at a stray bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face. Spying the towel she had brought with her lying on the ground a few steps away, Helena let go of the bag and took a step toward it. Helena gasped as a sudden sharp pain shot its way across her back. Bruce hurried to Helena's side as she dropped to one knee.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, concern etched on his face.  
  
Helena frowned and tried to pull away from him, but the pain lanced across her back again and she almost lost her balance altogether. Bruce caught her elbow and gently eased her to a sitting position on the floor.  
  
"Easy.You're pushing yourself too hard. After what you saw on that tape, I know you ache to destroy the Joker and Harley with every ounce of your being. But you can't help Barbara if you destroy what little progress you've made in your recovery. Save your strength for the real fight."  
  
Helena raised her head and glared defiantly at Bruce. But something in his eyes told her that Bruce wasn't chiding her. Her features softened as she recognized something in those eyes she hadn't seen there before. She turned away, unprepared for the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her at the look of care and concern directed at her by a man she had vowed to hate for the rest of her life.  
  
Seeking to end the awkward moment, Helena made an attempt to rise. Bruce quickly assisted her to her feet, not letting go until he was certain she could stay upright without assistance. He glanced at his watch and cleared his throat.  
  
"Well, you'd better go clean up. We'll be having company shortly."  
  
Helena turned to look at Bruce questioningly.  
  
"My contact.and she's bringing a friend.one I'm certain you'll be interested in meeting."  
  
* * *  
  
Carolyn entered the apartment and found Dinah once again dejectedly staring out the window at the alley below. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Carolyn had been worried that her daughter would not be in the apartment when she got back from her meeting with Bruce Wayne. Although she had explained the importance of remaining hidden to Dinah, the frustration of remaining in the apartment, while Barbara lay in the hands of monsters, was taking its toll on the girl. The long hours of inactivity, coupled with thoughts of the dream she'd had earlier that morning, combined to make Dinah more anxious to do something.anything.to help free her mentor from her torment.  
  
Dinah turned to face her mother as she crossed from the doorway to the chair in which Dinah was seated. She'd been crying again; the pain and desperation mirrored in her eyes was almost too much fro Carolyn to bear. She pulled her daughter close and held her tightly.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
Dinah pulled back from the embrace and gave her mother a defiant stare. "I will be when I can stop hiding out and start helping Barbara."  
  
Carolyn couldn't help bur grin - Dinah reminded her so much of herself at that age. "Well, you're going to get that chance. The meeting went well.once Bruce got over the shock of seeing me alive, that is."  
  
Dinah abruptly rose from her chair and stalked angrily across the room. Carolyn sighed. She didn't know how to convince Dinah that the Bruce Wayne she had met was nothing like the Bruce Wayne that Carolyn had befriended years ago. She walked over to where Dinah now stood and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.  
  
"Baby, I know how you feel about him, but Bruce wants to help. Besides, he says he has a friend that is chomping at the bit to get a little payback on the Joker and Harley Quinn. We're supposed to meet them in an hour at the Wayne Mansion, so."  
  
"A friend?" Dinah turned to face Carolyn. "What friend?"  
  
Carolyn shrugged. "He didn't say. Just had this amused glint in his eye when he told me that you would probably get along very well this person. Oh, well - we'll know in an hour anyway. I'm less concerned about the friend and more concerned about formulating a plan. Bruce said that the Joker contacted him - gave him an ultimatum and a meeting place. That means he'll have surprises waiting for Batman should he arrive as scheduled. We have to account for all of that. And."  
  
Carolyn paused when she noticed the look of amusement showing on her daughter's face.  
  
"You must have worked with Barbara a lot in the past, huh?" Dinah asked.  
  
"We worked with each other quite a bit. That's how we became such good friends. Why?"  
  
Dinah laughed. "Because except for the techno-babble, you sounded exactly like her just now."  
  
Carolyn gave Dinah a playful swat and a look of mock annoyance. In fact, she was secretly overjoyed at the change in Dinah's demeanor. She chalked it up to the prospect of getting Barbara back. She hoped that Dinah wouldn't be disappointed. 


	14. A Return to Hell Part 14

Carolyn drove up to the Wayne Mansion gates and patiently waited for them to open. She snuck a sideways glance at Dinah in the passenger seat. The young blonde was fidgeting in her seat, her knee bouncing up and down, her right hand absently playing with a strand of her golden hair. Dinah stared out the window in silence, not knowing what to expect, but needing to do something – anything – that didn't involve being holed up in Carolyn's apartment while the Joker and Harley Quinn held Barbara Gordon captive.  
Carolyn knew that Dinah had her reasons for disliking Bruce Wayne. The Bruce Wayne she had met was a mere shell of the man Carolyn had once known. At the restaurant, Carolyn noticed the change in him almost immediately. She had to admit that he was no longer the Bruce Wayne she had known and respected and fought beside. But he wasn't as far off from that man as Dinah had described him. They said that time heals all wounds. Perhaps Bruce had finally begun to heal.  
As she steered the Firebird into the circular driveway, Carolyn spied Alfred waiting for them just outside the mansion entrance, and smiled. Dinah was out of the car before Carolyn could put it in park. A look of pure surprise and utter joy crossed the butler's face as Dinah encircled him in her arms.  
"Miss Dinah, I'd thought..."  
"Alfred," Bruce stood just inside the doorway of the mansion. "Please show our guests in."  
Alfred regained his composure. "Certainly, Master Bruce," he replied, sneaking a wink at Dinah. "I know someone who would be most pleased to see our guests...most pleased indeed."  
Alfred led the pair toward the library, while Bruce headed up the stairs.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena scowled at the knock on the door. She had just finished the painful process of getting dressed and was now seated at the edge of the bed, a sheen of cold sweat covering her brow.  
"What?!"  
"Helena, our guests are here...May I come in?"  
"Whatever...it's your house," she scoffed.  
Bruce frowned and entered the room. "Helena, this is just as much your home as it is mine."  
Helena flashed an angry glare in Bruce's direction. "The Clocktower is my home! My apartment above the Dark Horse is my home! This! This will never be MY home!"  
Bruce just stared at his daughter for a moment, the outburst momentarily stunning him. Then he noticed the pallor, the pained look, and the painful sting of rejection was forgotten.  
"Still in pain I see."  
"I'm fine," Helena snapped, jumping up from the bed in an effort to prove her statement. But she faltered as the pain of her injuries gripped her and staggered slightly. Bruce quickly moved toward Helena, offering his hand to help support her. She batted it away, not wanting to look weak at this critical moment. She knew that if she looked like she couldn't handle herself, Bruce would cut her out of the rescue attempt. Helena couldn't allow that to happen.  
She pulled herself painfully up to her full height and tried to exit the room, but Bruce blocked her path. Angrily, Helena tried to go around him, but Bruce refused to give her leeway. Instead, he grabbed her hand and gently placed something in it.  
"I know what you're thinking. You think that if I know how much pain you are truly in, I'll try to stop you from helping to rescue Barbara. I'm not as much of a fool as you think, Helena. I know how much Barbara means to you and that there would be no stopping you. I've been in your situation more than once. What I've given you should help, if only temporarily."  
Helena looked down at the pills resting in her outstretched hand and scowled. She hated taking medication of any kind. Barbara knew that. He would too if he'd taken the time to get to know her. She reached out to give them back to Bruce, but he shook his head.  
"I know how you feel about these things, but if you want to help Barbara, you'll need something to dull the pain. Don't get me wrong, Helena. I'm not advocating using these things all the time. They're fairly strong and highly addictive, but they work extremely well. I've used them in cases of extreme emergency and I'm sure you would agree that this is one such case."  
Helena held Bruce's gaze for a moment, surprised to discover that her father knew her better than she had originally thought. She made a mental note to discuss that fact with Barbara once she had her safely returned to the Clocktower. She eyed the pills once more, turning them over in her hand in a moment of indecision. Then, deciding that her father was right for once, she swallowed them without water and pushed her way past Bruce without so much as a thank you.  
Bruce grinned, in spite of himself.  
Was I this difficult at her age? Poor Alfred.  
He followed her out of the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Carolyn could barely suppress a grin as Dinah gazed around her in awe.  
"So this is the infamous Bat Cave! Wow! Look at all this stuff!" She hurried toward a bank of computers.  
"Miss Dinah, I wouldn't touch that," Alfred warned in a worried tone of voice.  
"Relax, Alfred, I just want to see what this does..."  
Just then, a door slid open and Bruce strode through. "Ahem!"  
Dinah jumped, looking as guilty as she had when Barbara had caught her cutting class with Gabby less than a month ago.  
Barbara...  
Thinking of Barbara at the hands of those monsters sobered Dinah, bringing her focus back to the matter at hand. She stepped back from the computer and opened her mouth to apologize just as Helena stepped through the door behind Bruce Wayne. Dinah's mouth dropped open and tears sprang instantly to her eyes.  
"So where are these guests you're so fired up...?" Helena's words died in her throat, her body frozen in place as her eyes took in the scene before her.  
All was still but for the humming of high-powered electronics as the occupants of the room stared at each other in anticipation, each unable to find the proper words to break the silence. Suddenly, Dinah found her way through the shock, launching herself at Helena and pulling her into a fierce embrace - an embrace that Helena returned in equal force, heedless of the pain from her injuries.  
"I...I thought you were..." Dinah struggled with the words.  
"I know. It's a long story."  
"One we don't have time for I'm afraid," Bruce Wayne interrupted, holding up a video tape. "As you all know, the Joker has contacted me concerning Barbara. I know how disturbing watching this again is going to be for you Helena, but the others need to see this. They might notice things I've missed that could help when we make our move."  
Dinah searched Helena's face for some idea as to the contents of the tape and was dismayed to see the brunette blanch in response. Dinah thought back to her nightmare and was suddenly very afraid. All eyes turned reluctantly toward the video monitor as Bruce inserted the tape.  
When it was over, the group was once again at a loss for words. Helena's gaze drifted away from the screen toward Dinah, who was still staring at the blank monitor. The hand that had reflexively grabbed Helena's as she watched the Joker and Harley Quinn viciously torture their mentor was bone-white at the knuckles. To Helena, it seemed that Dinah wasn't staring at the monitor, but rather, through it, as if she were there in the room with Barbara being tormented along side her. Helena touched Dinah's shoulder and she jumped.  
"I saw it!" she cried, staring accusingly at her mother. "It wasn't a dream! I told you!"  
"Dinah, take it easy," Helena soothed.  
"No!" the teen cried, turning to Helena. "I told her...I told her it was real."  
Bruce turned a questioning eye toward Carolyn.  
"She had a nightmare...or...at least I'd hoped it was a nightmare...but now...I..."  
Bruce didn't wait for Carolyn to finish the explanation. He walked over to Dinah, who was now enveloped in Helena's protective embrace. Helena glared at him, instinctively knowing what he was going to say to the girl – knowing that what he was going to ask of her would be more painful than watching the torture on video. But she also knew that it was necessary to Barbara's survival. Gently, she turned Dinah to face Bruce as he patiently explained what was needed of her. 


	15. A Return To Hell Part 15

"You okay?" Helena asked Dinah as the two prepared for the night's rescue mission. She'd been keeping an eye on the teen ever since Bruce had asked her to tell him details of the dream / vision she'd had. Dinah had done amazingly well, considering the amount of detail Bruce was asking for and the difficult subject matter. After all, trying to focus on details of a vision in which your mentor is brutalized before your very eyes would be a daunting task for anyone, much less a fragile teenager.  
Dinah glanced upward from where she knelt beside her equipment and cocked an eyebrow.  
"Me? Funny, I was going to ask you the same question a few minutes ago. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"  
A look of confusion crossed Helena's features. Of course she was worried about Barbara, but something told her that wasn't what Dinah meant.  
  
"Notice what?"  
Dinah stood and folded her arms across her chest, fixing Helena with the no-nonsense stare she'd seen Barbara use numerous times in the past.  
"Oh please! Every time you reach for something you wince a little. And if you have to actually bend, you look like you're about to throw up."  
Helena sighed. She had thought she was hiding the pain fairly well, but she should have realized that Dinah knew her well enough by now to be able to pick up that something was wrong.  
"I'll be fine. I'm a little sore, but I can do what has to be done. Don't worry about me."  
Dinah held the no-nonsense pose for a moment longer before she gave it up entirely, walking over and sinking into the chair beside Helena. She peered up into the older woman's eyes.  
"The plan calls for a lot of fighting. You're sure you're up for that?"  
Instinct caused Helena to shoot Dinah a look of extreme annoyance, but experience caused her features to soften.  
The kid's just worried about me, that's all. As much as I am about her probably. As much as we both are for Barbara.  
"I'll be fine," Helena repeated, placing a comforting hand on Dinah's shoulder. "Really. We just have to stick to the plan..." Helena paused in mid-sentence, giving Dinah a look of mock-horror. "Did those words just come out of my mouth? Stick to the plan? Yikes." She shuddered.  
The two girls laughed, a laughter born of necessity. What they were about to embark upon – the plan Helena referred to – was fraught with uncertainty. No one was certain as to the strength of the Joker's reformed army. No one was certain as to what condition Barbara was going to be in when they arrived. No one was certain that Barbara would in fact still be there when Batman, Black Canary, Huntress, and Dinah finally arrived at the warehouse.  
Helena turned to focus her attention back on the equipment she was packing. She was uneasy about this rescue mission. There were too many gaps...too many "what ifs". When Oracle discussed having a plan, it meant planning for every contingency, even the least likely. Oracle had always been a stickler for detail. Helena knew that Batman had basically taught much of this to his protégée years before she'd ever imagined being Oracle. But Helena knew that much of Oracle's meticulous nature was inherent. She also knew that her father had been out of the game for quite some time. Helena hoped with every fiber of her being that her fears were unjustified.  
  
Carolyn paused in the library entrance to the Bat Cave. Seated before a bank of computers was a sight she hadn't witnessed in many years...thought she may never see again. Unaware of her presence, the dark, cowled figure tapped away at a computer keyboard, querying the computer for information regarding the warehouse as well as pulling up old files on his nemesis. He stopped typing as he took in the information displayed on the central monitor. Seemingly mesmerized by the screen, he didn't notice Carolyn approach, curious to know just what had captured Batman's interest so completely.  
She stopped three feet away as she recognized the article displayed on the monitor and the picture that accompanied it. Barbara Gordon's smiling features rest beside black and white print detailing the tragedy that had befallen her at the hands of the Joker several years ago. The tragedy that, along with the murder of Selina Kyle, had driven Batman far away from New Gotham, presumably never to return.  
Batman stared intently at the screen, his attention unwaveringly drawn to the smiling face of Barbara Gordon under the headline that fairly screamed of his failure. He had failed Barbara that night...failed Selina as well. His foolish pride had led him to believe that he had destroyed his enemy. But he had failed...at the expense of people he loved.  
Sighing deeply, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to the painful reminder on the screen. Behind those closed eyelids lay a sea of agonizingly vivid memories of suffering felt by himself and his loved ones at the hands of the Joker. He'd thought he could handle this – facing the Joker again in battle. Now that the plans were laid and about to be executed, he wasn't quite so certain.  
Carolyn moved silently forward, studying the man that she had fought beside on countless occasions. Once so full of confidence and poise, the former Champion of Gotham now looked broken and down-trodden; as if the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders and he was buckling beneath its burden. Carolyn felt emotion well up inside her; compassion for the man who had dedicated his life to ridding Gotham of pain and anguish, but in doing so had brought so much of it upon himself.  
"You're worried about tonight."  
It was more of a statement than a question. Bruce slowly opened his eyes and nodded. Straightening up in his chair, he reached out and keyed up the warehouse floor plans.  
"I've memorized these backwards and forwards. Gone over every possible strategy...every possible mishap. I've gone over the plans with the girls so many times, I'm certain that they want to kill me...well...in Helena's case...she just probably has more reason to do so." Carolyn couldn't help but chuckle over Bruce's small attempt at levity.  
"I just don't know, Carolyn. I've faced the Joker so many times before. Just when I thought I'd finally defeated him, the bastard ended up coming out on top after all and people I cared about...people I loved suffered. What if I'm wrong about all of this and he wins again. Who else will suffer for my lack of vision?"  
Carolyn struggled for an answer that would soothe the pain and take away the doubt she saw in Bruce's eyes. She'd never thought she'd see the day when the heroic Batman would lose confidence in himself. She turned to face the wall of monitors and silently prayed for the old Bruce Wayne to return. They couldn't afford to have Bruce lose his edge right now. It would prove disastrous for them all.  
  
Barbara Gordon was oblivious to her surroundings...to the laughter echoing off the warehouse walls...to the chains that held her suspended from the warehouse roof...to the blood seeping from various open wounds. All she could sense was pain...pain radiating down her arms...pain roaring through her skull...pain ebbing from every pore. But the worst pain of all was the pain flooding her heart, threatening to overflow – the pain of losing Dinah and Helena was proving too much for her to bear. She had mustered the last bit of defiance she had left during the filming of the Joker's proposal to Batman. Now, all her strength was gone and she was just waiting for death to come. Barbara finally understood why Bruce had left New Gotham. She finally understood what it was like to have everything you love torn away from you and rend to pieces. She was dying inside. She secretly hoped that Batman wouldn't arrive in time. 


	16. A Return to Hell Part 16

Dinah pulled the Hummer to a stop at a red light on the corner of Astor Place and John Street. Wiping her sweaty palms on her pants for the fifth time since she left Wayne Manor, Dinah glanced over at Helena who was resting her head against the passenger seat, eyes closed. Dinah had no idea how Helena felt about the plan formulated by her father. Dinah herself harbored some foreboding qualms about the plan; although she couldn't quite put her finger on just what it was that was bothering her about it.  
  
There were no obvious flaws in the plan – Batman, like Oracle, was very thorough. She supposed that she would have felt a little better if she and Helena had actually been given the opportunity to offer ideas, rather than being handed their assignments. That was the difference between Batman and Oracle. For the most part, Oracle formulated plans with input from all resources. Batman collected information from resources and then issued orders.  
  
Dinah wasn't used to his way of doing things and that made her uneasy. In fact, she was a bit surprised that Helena was taking direction so well – especially from Batman, of all people. The only part of the entire rescue mission that appealed to Dinah was the fact that she got to be behind the wheel of a familiar vehicle. She'd selected this Hummer from Bruce Wayne's fleet because it reminded her of Barbara's Hummer. Although Dinah knew it was absurd, she had an intense feeling that this vehicle would bring luck to the mission.  
  
And we need every ounce of luck we can get!  
  
The light turned green and Dinah steered the Hummer toward their fate – be it victory or doom.  
  
Helena continued to lean back against the headrest of the passenger seat, seemingly relaxing despite the seriousness of the situation. But behind those closed eyes, Helena's mind was a flurry of activity. In fact, Helena was keeping her eyes closed so Dinah could not see that they had changed. Helena's eyes always changed when she was in battle mode, but changing this soon before a fight meant something more. It meant that Helena was feeling emotional in the extreme, and she would rather not have to explain the reasons behind the change.  
  
Dinah cursed as they hit a pothole and then slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a pedestrian. Helena snuck a peak at the young girl and watched as she yet again wiped the sweat from her palms. She sighed.  
  
"Nervous?" she asked.  
  
Dinah threw Helena an incredulous look before rapid-firing her response. "Nervous? Me? Nervous? Why should I be nervous? I mean, your dad just appears out of nowhere with this plan of attack. He has no idea how strong the Joker's crew is, what kind of tricks Joker and Harley have up their sleeves, he has no idea what's in store for us, but he's got a plan and we're following it! For all we know, he could be leading us like lambs to a slaughter! But, why should I be nervous! I mean, you seem to be perfectly calm!"  
  
Helena chuckled as she turned to face Dinah, revealing the cat's eyes she'd been trying so hard to hide. "Calm? Heh! Yeah. Right. I guess I do seem calm. At least I'm trying pretty hard to. But deep down, I'm just as nervous as you are....maybe more so...but not for the same reasons." Helena sighed and faced forward again. "I'm not worried so much about the plan. The Joker was Batman's obsession, remember? He would know everything about the man – his strengths, his weaknesses, who he can count on, who'll let him down. The Joker only surprised him once...and even that was not much of a surprise – Batman knew there would be retribution for taking down the Joker. He just hadn't counted on it happening so quickly...hadn't counted on the police losing him so soon. No, I'm not so worried about the plan. I'm more concerned about Barbara. I mean...what if...?"  
  
Helena swallowed hard, carefully choosing her words, as if by voicing her fears, she could make them become reality.  
  
"What if...See...The Joker doesn't really need Barbara now. He knows Batman well enough to know that he'll show. So why should he hold on to her, right? But we both know he has no intention of letting her go. And then, there's Harley...God, how she must be loving this! So what if we get there and...and...Barbara's already...dead?"  
  
Outside, the roar of an engine pressed to its fullest potential turned the heads of pedestrians as the Hummer tore a path down the streets of New Gotham. But inside the Hummer, all was eerily silent as the two young protégés contemplated the possibility that their mentor was already dead. Dinah reached out and grasped Helena's hand. Helena returned the grip as she stared out the window, absently watching the scenery of New Gotham flit by while a single tear wove a path down her cheek. 


	17. A Return to Hell Part 17

Gotham Publishing, Inc. was once a high profile publishing company, equal to that of Bantam and Dell. Then came the earthquake that rocked Gotham to its core, virtually destroying Gotham's business district and shattering lives. Fearful of the possibility of the next quake, several people left Gotham. Several businesses decided to pick up elsewhere. Some businesses, wracked by the damage the quake had caused and either unable or unwilling to start over, simply folded.

Gotham Publishing, Inc. was one such victim. The sole surviving property once owned by the publishing firm was a warehouse in an abandoned part of town. It stood in the shadow of several such warehouses. But unlike its rapidly decaying neighbors, the Gotham Publishing, Inc. warehouse was not exactly in a state of disrepair.

Two years ago, profiteer William Moss had decided that he was single- handedly going to revive the warehouse district. He started by repairing and remodeling the publishing company warehouse, in the hopes that another publishing company might see opportunity calling.

However, somewhere in the middle of renovations, William Moss was found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to 5 years in prison. During his first year in prison, Moss, a mysaphobic, suffered a nervous breakdown, insisting that the prisoners and guards alike were conspiring to contaminate him with several harmful and debilitating germs. Moss was transported to Arkham to carry out the rest of his sentence.

It had been Harley that had suggested this warehouse as a headquarters for the Joker's return to Gotham. Having been Moss' psychiatrist at Arkham, Harley had inquired extensively about the warehouse – how much of the renovations had been completed, how visible the interior was from the street, etc. She had intended to use it as a base of operations herself if she were ever forced to abandon her cover as Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

So, when the Joker had griped about the loss of the dockyards headquarters, Harley excitedly told him about a possible new location. She had never liked the idea of using the old dockyards. One of her failed employees had attempted to make the dockyards his home and damned if that invalid and her bat-brats hadn't spoiled everything.

Harley glared at the limp form of Barbara Gordon. The hatred she felt for this woman held no bounds. This was the woman who had helped Batman imprison her beloved Mr. J. This was the woman who had thwarted her at every turn in her efforts to revive Mr. J's regime. It was Commissioner Gordon's spoiled brat who had exposed her true identity, had turned her prospective protégé, Helena Kyle, against her. It was Barbara Gordon who had been the reason Harley Quinn had been imprisoned in Arkham Asylum.

Harley strode up to Barbara's inert form and clenched her fists, struggling with the urge to hammer the battered redhead with every ounce of her anger. Simmering with unspent volumes of seething fury, Harley longed to tear into Barbara Gordon; to rend the life from her piece by piece. But she had made a promise to the Joker...and he in turn had made a promise that Harley could not resist.

_You can have your revenge, my dear Harley. But not until I have the Bat-freak. Then you can have your way with Gordon. I just want him to be here to watch as you tear her heart out. I want him to bear witness what happens to those who try to destroy all that I have worked so hard to build. You can wait that long, can't you my love?  
_

Harley inhaled deeply and slowly unclenched her fists.

_Yes, Mr. J, I can wait. But only for you...only for you._

* * *

Carolyn shimmied through the ventilation shaft, a steady stream of curses muttered under her breath as she struggled to make her way to the agreed upon destination point. The going had been rough. The schematics Bruce had pulled up were old. Changes had been made to the duct system that hadn't been documented and she had lost precious minutes backtracking through the maze of ducts, searching for the one that would put her on the right path.

Now that she was certain she was headed in the right direction, Carolyn prayed that she would reach her destination on time.

Dinah and Helena crouched inside the crumbling remains of an adjacent warehouse, waiting for the telltale sound that would signal the beginning of their portion of the rescue attempt. A barely discernable movement from a darkened corner of the opposing warehouse caught Helena's eye. Moments later, the two sentries guarding that side of the warehouse fell to the floor in crumpled heaps, silently and efficiently dispatched by a batarang that returned to its rightful owner with barely a whisper.

It was the first time Helena had ever actually seen her father in action, and she had to admit that she admired his skill...and his stealth as the moon briefly revealed a shadowy figure as he prepared to climb the warehouse wall to the roof above. She could feel Dinah tense up beside her as Batman paused at the roof's edge. Then suddenly, he was over the top.

Seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness as the two women waited. Helena hoped that Batman had it in him to dispatch the roof sentries as quickly as he had the two guarding this side of the warehouse. Hers and Dinah's role centered on the distraction Batman was to supply. If he couldn't pull it off...

Helena brushed the thought from her mind. She didn't want to think of what would happen to Barbara if any part of the plan went south.

* * *

Dinah nervously bit down on the nail of her index finger as she watched Batman effortlessly slide over the top of the roof and disappear from view. She quickly stole a glance at Helena to see if she was as Dinah was. But Helena was in full Huntress mode. Dinah was betting that if she were to place a hand on Huntress' arm, she would experience Huntress' overwhelming need to be on that roof, tearing off heads and taking names. It was Dinah's turn to marvel...at Huntress' restraint.

She just hoped that Helena's earlier ruminations turned out to be wrong. If they were to go through all of this only to find that Barbara was already dead...Dinah cringed at the thought. She knew that if Barbara was in fact dead, not only would she lose a mentor and surrogate mother, but she would lose a sister as well. Dinah knew with certainty that if they found Barbara dead, Huntress would snap and there would be no turning back.

Dinah shuddered at the thought and turned her attention back to the roof.

* * *

Batman crouched over the skylight and stared down with trepidation. It had been relatively easy to dispatch the sentries, both on the ground and on the roof. That made him nervous. Did the Joker instinctively know what was coming?

Over the years, Batman had almost become an expert on the Joker. He had studied the villain's every move and had learned to anticipate his every action...almost every action. He had been wrong once; fatally wrong. What if he were wrong now?

The Joker had studied him as well, searching to find any ounce of weakness in his nemesis. He had found one...found a few actually...and had successfully driven Batman from his home, riddled with pain and guilt. All those years rotting away in Arkham Asylum, the Joker had planned for a day when he would have his final revenge on Batman.

One must always anticipate the actions of their enemies.

He remembered the lesson he had taught every one of his protégés all too well. What if it was a lesson that the Joker had also come to learn? He had known just how hard to push...just what buttons to press that would run Batman out of town. What if he had anticipated this move as well?

Sighing heavily, Batman pushed all thoughts of dread from his mind and focused on the task at hand.

* * *

The Joker paced back and forth like a tiger in a cage awaiting his meal. The tension was palpable as the deadline approached and he was on edge. He had posted sentries all over the warehouse and Harley was guarding the bait, but the Joker was no fool. He had learned long ago that the only person he could trust was himself. Several bouts with the Bat- freak and his protégés had taught him that valuable lesson.

Allies in his line of work always turned tail and ran in the end...or ratted you out. Witness what had happened with Selina Kyle. No, the Joker trusted no one but the Joker. And right now, his gut was telling him that Batman had something up his sleeve...one last card perhaps that would topple the Joker's deck.

_No_, his mind roared. _No! He's weak...beaten. You made him that way. You destroyed him – sent him crawling away from the city he called home a beaten and broken man. He's spent years wallowing in self-pity and doubt. You turned Batman into Bat-wimp – a simpering shell of the nemesis you once knew.  
_

The Joker smirked at the thought.

_ No, the Bat-freak will either turn himself in to save the life of the protégé he felt responsible for, or he would turn tail and run, sneaking off again into the night, never to return_.

Lost in the cheerfulness of his thoughts, the Joker never noticed the shadow that loomed overhead. Never noticed until it was too late.


	18. A Return to Hell Part 18

_KRRRAAAASH!!!!!_

The Joker looked up just in time to see thousands of shards of broken glass, followed by a shadowy figure, raining down on him. He had just enough time to crouch, covering his head in a lame attempt at protecting himself from the inevitable. Each shard that found its mark elicited a shout of pain and anguish as it burrowed deep within the skin.

So engulfed by pain was the Joker, that he barely registered the thud that marked the landing of the shadowy figure. As the last shard fell to the ground, the figure loomed over the Joker, casting him in its shadow. The hunter loomed over its cowering prey...and smiled.

_KRRRAAAASH!!!!!_

"SHIT!!!" Carolyn cursed heartily as she struggled to move faster through the air duct. She could see the grate a good five yards ahead of her and if she didn't pour on the speed, she'd be too late to act out her role in Batman's plans. The results of such a late arrival could be tragic.

_KRRRAAAASH!!!!!_

"Now!" Huntress yelled, and the two raced toward the side entrance of the warehouse. Dinah waved a hand and the door crashed inward, slamming into a startled guard and knocking him unconscious. Huntress and Dinah bounded through the open doorway and ran down the hall. The door at the end of the hallway burst open before five of the Joker's henchmen who raced straight toward the two approaching women at top speed.

"Go!" Dinah yelled. "I can handle them!"

Huntress needed no further encouragement. She vaulted over the five men, landing a scant few feet behind them and continued on down the hallway. Before any of the men could stop or even think about pursuing Huntress, Dinah was on them, hurling two away effortlessly with the wave of a hand. As she fought the remaining three, she caught a glimpse of Huntress as she raced through the door at the opposite end of the hallway.

"Find her, Huntress!" she yelled into her comms. "Find her," she whispered to herself as she blocked a blow to the head and delivered a crippling right cross to an opponent's chin.

_KRRRAAAASH!!!!!_

"What the hell was that?!"

A startled Harley Quinn stared expectantly at one of thugs leaning against the wall across the room.

"I dunno," replied the equally startled man.

"Well, don't you think you ought to find out?" replied Harley, testily.

Mumbling something about bossy bitches under his breath, the thug signaled to two others and left the room.

"Get up, Joker."

Three words spoken in an even, measured tone sent a chill up the Joker's spine. Batman had arrived as scheduled, but on his own terms. The Joker convinced himself that Batman's chosen entrance mattered little. Pieces of glass tinkled to the floor as the Joker raised himself to full height and faced his enemy.

"Batman! As I live and breathe! And look! You're still wearing the same old costume! This is truly a surprise! I would have thought you might select a much more suitable color to wear on your return visit."

As the Joker spoke, waving around his bloodied hands, he slowly and carefully edged backwards. Batman stood as still as a statue, fixing the Joker with an icy stare.

"I mean, really! Always so dark and dismal. Why not update the attire to match your new tactics? Might I suggest something in a bright shade of yellow?"

The Joker let out a high pitched cackle that filled the cavernous room and echoed off of the walls. Batman only stood and stared. Slightly unnerved at the reaction, the Joker decided to try a different tactic.

"How was the funeral? I would have liked to attend, but I was rather busy playing host. Harley is a sweet girl, but she's a tad lacking in the hospitality department. I didn't want to deprive Barbara Gordon of my undivided attention."

He was scant feet away from his destination, yet Batman still hadn't made a move toward him. The Joker stopped and frowned. This was not the Batman he was used to.

"Ha! Look at you. Pitiful. Make a dashing entrance and then stand there like a lump. Figures. I should have realized what you were about all along. I never cowered in the dark of the night. It wasn't me who ran from Gotham. I was forced to leave."

Anger mounting, the Joker actually took a step forward.

"You robbed me! You took my empire! I'd worked so hard to build it and you took it from me! And then, when I try to avenge myself, you rob me of what I wanted to see most – your reaction to my revenge. You captured me and had me carted off to Arkham. I never got to enjoy your pain. Never got to watch you wallow in your guilt. I had to hear second hand that you had left Gotham!

"You used to love to play the hero! Now look at you. You stand there looking at me with distaste and scorn, but who's the loser here, huh? I came back! I came back willingly. What about you? My escape from Arkham wasn't even enough to bring you back! I had to have your daughter murdered and torture your former protégé to motivate you!

"I feel cheated. This has all been a waste of time. Perhaps you would feel more motivated if you witnessed the death of a loved one first hand. Would that do it? Only one way to find out."

With that, the Joker spun on his heel, turning his back on Batman, and strode to the door. Slapping a panel to the side of the door, the Joker reached for the doorknob. An alarm blared loudly throughout the warehouse.

"Oh, Barbara, dear!" Joker crooned. "I know you've missed me! I'm coming, Sweetheart!"

With that, the Joker yanked open the door and came face to face with a woman clad in a black leather bodysuit, fishnet stockings and black leather boots. Behind her, lying in a jumbled heap on the floor, were two of the Joker's henchmen. The woman brushed a blonde strand of hair from her face.

"Everything okay in there?" she asked.

"Just fine, Canary. Thank you."

Black Canary glanced to her left as a door flew open and men armed with bats and other assorted hand-fashioned weapons entered the room. She flashed a smile.

"Great! So you wouldn't mind if I continued playtime in here?"

"Have a ball. The Joker was leaving just a tad bit prematurely. We still have quite a bit of catching up to do."

The Joker stiffened as he realized that Batman's response came from just inches away from his ear. A hand clamped on his shoulder and he was thrown backwards into the room, the door crashing closed as he fell to the floor.


	19. A Return to Hell Part 19

_"...what if we get there and...and...Barbara's already...dead?" _

The words continued to assail Huntress as she headed down the corridor at full speed. If her father was right, she should be getting close to where the Joker and Harley Quinn were holding Barbara. But, for all she knew, Huntress could be running into a dead end. After all, Batman had made his decision based on details from Dinah's vision and the blueprints of the warehouse.

"_what if we get there and...and...Barbara's already...dead?"_

She shook her head and silently berated herself for thinking that way. As Barbara would say, a defeatist attitude would get her nowhere. But, if the words she uttered earlier – words that continued to echo in her ears – were proven true, woe to all those responsible.

Huntress heard footsteps approaching but had no intentions of stopping. As she rounded the corner, she discovered the source of the noise. Three of the Joker's henchmen were headed in her direction.

"Hey, what the..." was all that one henchman could say before Huntress barreled into him, knocking him to the floor, where he remained, unconscious. The other two exchanged a shocked look before realizing that the intruder was still on the move.

Huntress made it halfway down the corridor before she realized she was being tailed. She jumped straight up, flipping backwards in midair, and landed behind the two thugs. As they spun around, looks of astonishment on their faces, Huntress frowned.

"Ya know, I really don't have time for this," she said, before launching into a dizzying series of punches and kicks. In seconds, the two thugs were lying in broken heaps on the floor. Huntress continued on down the corridor as if nothing happened.

Harley was nervously pacing the room. Something had gone horribly wrong with her lover's plan – she was certain of it. The sounds of a struggle reached her from the corridor directly outside the door. She quickly covered the distance between herself and her prisoner. Grabbing a handful of fiery red hair, Harley yanked Barbara's head backward. Barbara moaned as she struggled to regain consciousness.

"I think I've waited long enough. Time to die!"

Harley's head whipped around at the sound of the door crashing inward. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the vision in the doorway.

"Let go of her, Bitch!" Huntress cried as she strode purposefully across the room.

Harley's released Barbara's hair and she began backing away from Huntress, shaking her head in an effort to clear her vision. There was just no way the vision before her could be real. Huntress was...

"You...you...you're dead," Harley stammered, as she struggled to maintain distance between herself and the steadily approaching nemesis.

"I think you have things confused," Huntress replied as she continued to back Harley into a corner of the room. "You left me for dead, but guess what - I didn't die!"

"B-b-but the newspaper...?" Harley's back hit the wall and she flattened herself against it as if seeking to somehow melt into it.

Huntress came to a halt and cocked a questioning eyebrow at her cornered prey.

"Do you always believe every thing you read?"

The smile on Huntress' face sent chills up Harley's spine. There was no mirth in that smile. It was a smile of satisfaction. The predator had cornered its prey and was ready to pounce. Harley knew she had to act quickly. Adopting her most sensitive Dr. Harleen Quinn voice and raising her hands placatingly, Harley attempted to buy herself some time by using what she knew best – the art of persuasion.

"Helena, you have to understand. All of this – this whole elaborate scheme – it was all part of a plan to capture your father. From everything you've ever told me, you hate your father. This was only meant to be a final confrontation between the Joker and Batman."

As she spoke, Harley slid along the wall cautiously, keeping eye contact with Huntress the entire time.

"What happened at the Clocktower was purely coincidental. You weren't supposed to be there. It all would have gone smoothly had you not shown up. This was never meant to be a war between me and you," Harley concluded, smiling sweetly.

"You should have thought about that before you messed with my family," Huntress growled.

Realizing that she could no longer talk her way out of the situation, Harley resorted to the other thing she knew best – fighting dirty. After all, she still had a couple of tricks left up her sleeves and her back was quite literally against the wall.

"Have it your way", she said, exhibiting a slight shrug before throwing her arms straight back and against the wall, activating the triggers for the Stinger knives concealed beneath her sleeves.

Summoning all the hate and anger she had stored up in the time she had been locked away at Arkham, Harley unleashed her attack, furiously slashing and stabbing at Huntress. Huntress exhibited amazing agility as she avoided each attack, frustrating Harley at each turn. She began to laugh, taunting Harley each time she missed.

With a scream of rage, Harley threw more effort into the attack, forcing Huntress to abandon the taunting and focus on evasive action. Harley slashed her knives across Huntress' midsection in pincer fashion. Huntress bent backwards until her hands touched the floor, the blades passing over her with bare inches to spare. She could feel the stitches in her back begin to give with the effort, but she ignored the pain in favor of survival.

Placing all of her weight on her hands, Huntress brought her legs straight up, catching Harley in the jaw with her booted feet, effectively stunning her. As Harley staggered backwards with the force of the blow, Huntress continued the summersault, landing on her feet to face Harley once again. Harley recovered quickly and the two began to circle each other, looking for a sign of weakness - a chance to attack.

Harley's chance came in the form of a moan coming from the center of the room. Huntress chanced a glance in Barbara's direction and Harley attacked. But Huntress was ready for her. Dropping to the ground, Huntress swept Harley's legs out from under her. Harley fell to the ground rather inelegantly, her precious blades wrenched from her hands on impact, skittering in different directions across the floor.

Moments later, Huntress was upon her, dragging her to her feet. She unleashed a blinding attack of savage proportions. Blow after blow struck Harley with such force as to cause her teeth to chatter. She sagged to the floor beneath the ferocity of the blows, but there was no escape. The torture refused to end as Huntress continued to rain blow after blow upon Harley's already pain-wracked body.

_We don't kill!_

Huntress ignored the admonishing voice as she rained vengeance down upon her enemy. She didn't notice that Harley had stopped trying to ward off the blows. She didn't notice that her body lay limp – that she had lost consciousness several painful blows before.

_We don't kill!_

All Huntress could see was Harley attacking chained, defenseless Barbara Gordon with as much ferocity as she was now unleashing upon her. All she could hear was the sound of Harley's laughter as she struck Barbara again and again.

_No matter what...no matter how evil...we don't kill! _

Huntress' assault began to falter with the persistence of the voice in her head...the voice of her mentor...the voice of her friend...the voice of her family....until finally, she stopped the assault altogether. She stared at the unconscious body before her; at her bloodied hands. And then slowly, she turned her head, setting her sights on the unconscious woman dangling from chains in the center of the room. Barbara needed her.

She turned her attention back to the matter at hand – rescuing Barbara. Slowly, painfully, she rose and stumbled toward Barbara Gordon. Finding the lock pick concealed in her outfit, Huntress made quick work of the first manacle. Supporting Barbara's inert form as best as she could, Huntress unlocked the second manacle, catching Barbara as she slid out of the restraint. Huntress slid to the floor with fatigue. She cradled Barbara in her arms, brushing the loose strands of red hair from her face.

Barbara's eyes fluttered open. She struggled to focus on the face before her. Uncertainty at the blurry features caused her to flinch, uttering a moan at the pain it inspired. Huntress, her eyes slowly returning to their original blue shade, spoke soothingly to Barbara.

"It's okay. I've got you. We're gonna get you out of here. It's okay."

Barbara gasped as her vision somewhat cleared, revealing Helena's features swimming before her. Tears filled her eyes.

"Helena," she whispered in disbelief.

Helena smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, it's me. It's gonna be okay, Barbara. We're gonna get you outta here."

Barbara slowly reached out a shaky hand to touch Helena's cheek, seeking to prove that the vision before her was real. Helena took Barbara's hand in her own and held it lovingly to her cheek. It was the last thing Barbara saw before darkness reclaimed her.

"Barbara?" Concern clouded Helena's features as Barbara once again lost consciousness. Gently kissing Barbara's forehead, she repeated her promise. "I'm gonna get you outta here." She touched a hand to her comm.

"Kid, where are you?"

"Back where you left me, playing my little decoy game." The sounds of struggle filtered back to Helena's comm. set. As did the hopefulness in Dinah's voice.

"I have her. She's in bad shape. I'll be coming on fast and I need you to clear a path."

"I'm on it!"

Summoning the last of her strength, Helena rose to her feet, Barbara limp body cradled in her arms. Immediately, Helena was immersed in pain. It sliced along her back as effectively as a sharpened knife blade. She stumbled, but refused to fall while carrying such precious cargo. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath. Her face set with grim determination, she started walking toward the door. By the time she was through the door, her pace had quickened to a trot.

"Hang on, Barbara," she said, through gritted teeth. "I'll get you out...of it kills me...I'll get you out of here."


	20. A Return to Hell Part 20

Carolyn Lance hadn't realized how much she sometimes missed being Black Canary. Oh, sure, the tediousness of it had gotten to her – the waiting games, the stress, the bruises. But all in all, she had enjoyed the role of superhero...righter of wrongs...justice seeker...avenger.

Ducking a bat swing aimed at her head and delivering a blow to the solar plexus of the would-be Babe Ruth, Carolyn smiled wryly to herself. If nothing else, this kind of work offered an avenue for aggression – a road on which to let loose all the pent up frustrations that had been mounting incessantly over the past year.

A chain whipped out, painfully encircling itself around Carolyn's wrist. The thug on the other end of the chain smiled in victory. _Amatuer_, Carolyn thought as she twisted her hand around the chain to ensure a tight grip, and yanked back hard, twisting her body as she pulled on the weapon of her attacker. His eyes bulged and he let out a surprised yelp as he stumbled forward, impaling himself on the homemade shiv of another thug who had hoped to sneak up behind Carolyn.

That was one thing about being a crime fighter she would never miss – having to constantly be on her guard. Being a master of several martial arts styles didn't matter. Having lightning fast reflexes were of no consequence. In order to survive as a crime fighter, you had to be aware of everything that was going on around you at all times. It meant having eyes in the back of your head. Over the past year, Carolyn had found happiness in leaving that world behind her. Now, she was gratified to see that the old crime fighting skills hadn't waned a bit.

_Kid, where are you?_

The voice that came over the comm set was Huntress. Carolyn's crime fighting instincts took over as she continued to fight her would-be attackers while concentrating on the conversation taking place over the comms.

_Back where you left me, playing my little decoy game_.

Carolyn couldn't suppress the smile that crept to her lips at hearing Dinah's voice. She could hear the sounds of struggle in the background, but Dinah's voice betrayed no signs of fear or fatigue. In fact, Dinah sounded like she was enjoying herself.

_Like mother, like daughter_, she thought, as she side-stepped a pipe-wielding thug, introducing him to the wall behind her with a resounding thud. Carolyn supposed that she should be worried about Dinah, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Barbara had trained her daughter well. She knew that Dinah could handle her role in this rescue mission.

_I have her. She's in bad shape. I'll be coming on fast and I need you to clear a path._

Carolyn cocked an eyebrow at the tone in Huntress' voice. Her voice was strained and there was a hint of sadness underlying her tone. Of course, Huntress could simply be reacting to Barbara's condition. Carolyn was certain that the video tape The Joker had sent Batman contained only a sample of the torture inflicted on Barbara Gordon.

But Carolyn's trained ears her something else in Huntress' voice – something that caused her concern. Something that convinced Carolyn that the girls were going to need her help.

"Are you gonna need me for anything, Batman?" she called out in the direction of the door which separated her and her attackers from Batman and the Joker. The response was a terse-sounding "no". Carolyn nodded. Batman had also heard the tone in his daughter's voice and he was worried...and just a tad more pissed than when he had begun this mission. Carolyn almost felt sorry for The Joker...almost.

Launching a flying kick that effectively made short work of the last of The Joker's henchmen, Carolyn sped out of the room and down the hallway.

Dinah hadn't liked the tone in Huntress' voice. Something was wrong – she was sure of it. And when she caught a glimpse of Huntress as she came barreling down the corridor with the limp form of Barbara Gordon cradled in her arms, Dinah knew she had been right. The look on Huntress' face said it all.

Dinah forced down the feelings of worry and despair. She didn't have time for them. Right now, Dinah had to focus on clearing a path through the seemingly never ending supply of henchmen. She alternated between using her telekinesis powers on and actually physically fighting with the numerous thugs they encountered on their way to the getaway vehicle. Only recently, Barbara had warned Dinah about the fatigue caused by over-using her telekinesis abilities. Dinah couldn't afford to push the envelope right now – there was too much at stake.

Huntress kept up a steady pace behind her, making her way through the obstacle of bodies Dinah was leaving in her wake. Dinah spared a glance Huntress' way and noted the grim look of determination on her face. Just as determined, Dinah turned back to the task at hand. After what seemed like hours, but could only have been a few moments, the two were running out of the warehouse and into the night.

They reached the Hummer and Dinah quickly opened the rear passenger-side door and climbed inside. She reached for Barbara and together, Huntress and Dinah gently lay their precious cargo across the back seat of the Hummer. Dinah exited the vehicle on the driver's side and so she missed the look of pure agony on Huntress' face as she sank to her knees beside the vehicle.

As Dinah reached for the front driver side door, she realized that Huntress hadn't gotten into the rear of the vehicle with Barbara. She had assumed that Huntress would want to ride in the back while she drove them to safety. Had Huntress wanted to drive? Dinah looked back toward the open rear door and gasped. On her knees beside the vehicle, head bowed, was Huntress.

As Huntress had raced down the hall with Barbara cradled in her arms, she forced herself to focus on one thing – getting Barbara to safety. She barely registered any of the skirmish before her as Dinah cleared the way for them. She refused to acknowledge the pain slicing up and down her back as she ran onward toward her goal.

Huntress kept her eyes forward, trusting Dinah to get the job done. She had no choice at this point. It took all of her inner strength to keep going. Her body screamed out in protest, but she wouldn't give in. In her arms lay the single most important person in Huntress' life. There was no way she would allow the agony of her injuries to prevent her from keeping her promise to Barbara. She would get her out – she would get her to safety.

Suddenly, somehow, they were beside the Hummer and Dinah was climbing into the back seat, beckoning for Barbara. Huntress leaned in and helped Dinah gently lay Barbara across the back seat. As she did so, she could feel something tear, but ignored it. The job at hand was far more important.

It was only after Barbara was comfortably placed in the back seat of the Hummer and Dinah prepared to jump into the driver seat, that the agony of Huntress' injuries finally conquered her determination. Her legs buckled beneath the force of the pain and she sank to her knees. Huntress heard Dinah call out her name, but she found herself unable to respond.


	21. A Return to Hell Part 21

"Huntress!"

Dinah rushed around the vehicle to Huntress' side. Dropping to her knees beside her, Dinah placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, sending the pain of a thousand needles piercing flesh racing up and down Huntress' back. She dropped to her hands, retching violently as the pain coursed through her.

"Oh my God! Huntress? What's wrong?"

Huntress couldn't hear her. The pain was just too intense and it took every ounce of her strength just to fight the blackness swirling around the edges of her vision, threatening to engulf her. With each heave, a new wave of pain crashed into her, carrying her closer to the state of unconsciousness.

Fear chilled Dinah to the bone as she knelt beside her ailing friend. She'd seen Huntress in pain before, but never like this. Dinah was afraid to look for whatever it was that was causing her so much pain. Just touching her shoulder had increased Huntress' pain by tenfold. She was afraid of what a gentle probe would do. And the fact was, they didn't have time for gentle probing. They had to get Barbara away from the warehouse before more of the Joker's thugs appeared.

Just then, in the glow of the vehicle's interior light spilling out onto the street, Dinah spotted the problem. Hunched over as she was, Huntress' jacket had ridden up, as did the shirt she wore beneath it. The shirt, already a dark black, was much darker at the lower edge, and thin trails of blood traced lines across the skin on Huntress' lower back.

"Damn!" Dinah exclaimed, just as Black Canary arrived.

"Dinah! What happened?" She dropped to a crouch beside her daughter.

"She must have re-opened the wounds on her back. Dammit! If the wounds weren't completely healed, why the hell did she insist on being here?!"

Carolyn rose and positioned herself at Huntress' other side. Carolyn looked directly into her daughter's eyes. She knew that Dinah wasn't angry with Huntress – it was worry that made her tone so harsh.

"You know the answer to that, Dinah. The same reason you raced off with a concussion to warn Barbara about the Joker and Harley."

Dinah broke eye contact and stared at the ground. Her mother was right. There are things you do for the ones you love – sacrifices you make. This had been Huntress' sacrifice for Barbara. Carolyn's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Huntress, can you walk?" she asked, taking hold of Huntress' right arm.

Her question was met by another series of retching, followed by a pain-wracked moan.

"I'll take that as a no. Dinah, you're going to have to help me get her into the car."

Each taking a side, mother and daughter lifted Huntress between them. Unable to withstand the pain that attacked her at every slight movement or jolt, Huntress gave in to the blackness and her body went limp. They half-dragged / half-carried Huntress to the front of the Hummer and secured her in the passenger seat.

Taking a quick look in the rear to make certain that Barbara was similarly secured, Carolyn got a close look at the injuries inflicted on her friend. Anger coursed through her and she longed for revenge, but she knew that there were other important matters that had to be taken care of first. Revenge would have to wait for the time being. She turned to Dinah.

"Get them out of here, as fast as you can without getting nailed by Gotham's Finest. Get them back to Wayne Manor. Alfred will know what to do."

As Carolyn turned and began to head back toward the warehouse, a sense of panic seized Dinah like a vice, forcing the breath from her lungs. Unable to speak, she quickly grabbed for her mother's arm. When Carolyn turned to face her daughter, she found Dinah's face streaked with tears.

"Don't go," Dinah said, her voice strained.

"Dinah, I have to. Batman is still in there. He might need my help. And the rest of the plan...I have to go back."

Dinah knew it was irrational. The plan had called for Huntress and Dinah to get Barbara away from the scene while Batman and Black Canary completed the plan, and she had been fine with that before. But now, one chilling thought continued to flash through her mind as she stared at her mother, the vision of the warehouse looming behind her.

"The last time I left you...I...you..." A sob prevented her from finishing the sentence.

Compassion forced a tear from Carolyn's eye as she realized what her daughter was trying to tell her. The last time Carolyn had made Dinah leave her behind, she had been inside a very similar warehouse with Al Hawke. The warehouse had exploded behind Dinah and Huntress with Carolyn and Hawke still inside. Once feeling abandoned by her mother, Dinah was left feeling as though she had unwittingly returned the favor and had abandoned her mother to her death.

"Oh, Honey." She pulled Dinah into a quick, but firm embrace. "I'll come back," she whispered into her daughter's ear. "I promise. We'll just finish up here and I promise that I'll join you at the manor."

Stepping back from Dinah, she held her daughter at arms' length and repeated her pledge. "I promise, Dinah."

Dinah, looking thoroughly unconvinced, glanced at the warehouse and then back at Carolyn.

"Dinah, you have to go," Carolyn gently prodded. She turned Dinah to face the Hummer. "They need you," she said over Dinah's shoulder.

Dinah took in the scene before her. She wiped the tears from her eyes. Her mother was right – Barbara and Huntress were her family, too. They needed her to complete her assignment. Straightening, she began to walk toward the car. As she slid into the driver seat, she turned her head to watch as Carolyn ran back toward the warehouse.

_Come back_, she thought as she turned the ignition. _Please_.

The engine of the Hummer raced and the tires squealed as Dinah pulled away from the scene, racing for Wayne Manor at top speed.

Batman paced the room, contemplating the situation at hand. It seemed as though he had been chasing after the Joker his entire life. The Joker had become an obsession for him. Batman's entire career had been one sacrifice after the other. His determination to bring criminals to justice required personal sacrifices. But he had never sacrificed as much to one criminal as he had the Joker. And the sacrifices he had made – his most precious, most painful, most heart-breaking losses.

Now, the time had come for a decision. He'd had the Joker in his grasp before and the decision had always been so easy. Hand him over to the authorities and let them handle it. Let the courts decide what the Joker's final fate would be and stick by that decision.

This time, however, the decision was not so easy. He had let the authorities handle the Joker long ago and they had botched the job. His protégé was confined to a life in a wheelchair and his lover was lost to him forever. Since that time, Batman had nothing but time to think over his failings. He'd reviewed that night in the dockyards over and over and over again, with the same results. He hadn't been able to kill the Joker then.

But since then, the Joker had been busy. Through his lover, Harley Quinn, he had continued his attacks on those Batman cared about. And finally, once free, he had come after Batman with no mercy, almost killing his daughter in the process. Barbara Gordon could very well be dead for all he knew, just because she refused to give the Joker any information he could use against his nemesis. And kidnapping Black Canary's daughter – torturing her – what good could that have done. She barely knew Batman.

But the Joker wasted no opportunities in punishing his enemies, whether real or perceived. Being as close to Barbara and Helena as she was, Dinah had been caught in the crossfire, much in the same way as Selina.

Innocent victims. The Joker left a trail of them behind as he carried out his vendetta against Batman. And now Batman had a decision to make. One that for most would not be very hard. He had an opportunity before him. He had the Joker in his grasp once again. A man who had torn his life to shreds; whose actions had forced him to leave Gotham. And now he had a chance to stop him forever.

He heard his daughter's voice in his ear as she called to Dinah for help with Barbara. Although gratified that Helena had found Barbara alive, there was a tone in her voice that suggested that they had gotten to her just in time. And something more – he could hear the strain underlying her words. He'd heard it before – at the Manor when she was recovering from her injuries. His daughter was injured, once again at the hands of his enemy.

Canary must have heard something to, for she called out to him asking if he needed her to stay. No, he wanted her to go. He didn't want her to be here when he decided what to do with the Joker. He didn't want her to be an accomplice should the decision be something of the more final nature. Better that she help the others get Barbara to safety.

He gazed down at the Joker, lying in a heap against the wall where Batman had tossed him like a rag doll. Fury had given him the strength of a thousand men and sent Joker crashing head-first into that wall. The Joker was struggling to regain consciousness and Batman wondered if he knew just how much of a struggle it was to decide Joker's fate.

If he had any inclination, Batman knew that the Joker would be chiding him about it. The Joker had no such struggles. If he wanted someone dead, he just went out and killed them...or in Selina's case, had them killed. He never thought twice about it. There was no struggle over what was right and what was wrong. There was no morality conflict, only finality.

Batman considered this. It must be so freeing to be so utterly devoid of a conscience. He longed for such freedom. Before he'd left Gotham he'd struggled a thousand times with his conscience over what would be best for the people of Gotham and what would be morally correct. Now that he had returned, perhaps he should turn over a new leaf.

He strode over to the Joker's barely conscious form and hauled him up by his shirt collar. The time had come for Batman to make a decision – he just hoped it was one he could live with.


	22. A Return to Hell Part 22 Final Chapter

Carolyn stood just within the doorway of what had become Barbara Gordon's recovery room in the Wayne Mansion. She watched as her daughter administered to her mentor's every need, real and imagined. Barbara was still unconscious, but Bruce's team of doctors were confident that she would make a full recovery.

Dinah had taken turns watching over Barbara and Helena since the warehouse rescue had taken place. They all had actually. Bruce, Alfred, Carolyn, Reese – they had all taken turns sitting beside the injured and nursing them back to health.

Bruce was currently sitting watch over his daughter. She had re-opened the injuries she'd received in the Clocktower the night Barbara was abducted. The doctors seemed upset to discover that all of their hard work had been for naught, but they worked diligently and were certain that Helena would be fine, provided that she could be kept still for longer than a week.

Carolyn smiled thinking about what a daunting task that might be. An active person herself, she had always hated being side-lined by injuries. She knew just how Helena was going to feel once the pain medication began to wear off. Right now, she was too drugged up to care, but once off the meds, Helena was going to be a force to reckon with. She could only imagine how Helena would react once she discovered the outcome of the warehouse rescue.

Carolyn leaned her head back against the wall and thought back to that night. They had all harbored secret misgivings about Batman's rescue plan, but it was the only plan they'd had to work with and time was running out. Things had mostly gone according to plan and Carolyn had started to think that they'd pull it off without a hitch, when Helena had reported having found Barbara.

There had been something in Helena's tone as she called on Dinah to help her get Barbara out of the warehouse. Her voice possessed a strained quality that seemed to convey more than just grief at Barbara's condition. It set off warning bells in the back of Carolyn's mind – warning bells that she felt she couldn't ignore.

With Batman's blessing, she had headed off toward the Hummer, trusting her daughter to provide a clear enough path for Huntress to escape with Barbara. She left behind a dozen unconscious henchmen and a deathly quiet room occupied by Batman and the Joker. She wondered what might be going on in that room, but they had agreed that Batman would take care of the Joker himself. Carolyn was only to make certain that Batman's time with the Joker was uninterrupted.

Although Carolyn hated leaving Batman like that, she felt that the girls might need her assistance more. She arrived on the scene to find her daughter hovering protectively over an obviously ailing Helena. Carolyn had helped Dinah secure Helena in the Hummer and then sent her off toward Wayne Manor.

It had taken all the strength she had to remain behind and complete her part of the plan. Especially after her daughter had revealed her fears. Her heart nearly broke as she watched the tears cascade down Dinah's face and heard the pleading in her voice. Carolyn understood her daughter's fears. After all, it must have felt like déjà vu to Dinah – the warehouse, Carolyn sending Dinah off, promising to follow as soon as she could. It was a repeat performance of the night when she had nearly lost her life in that warehouse explosion. Dinah had believed she had lost her mother that day and ever since that day and she could hardly deny the feeling that she might actually lose her mother again, perhaps this time for good.

Carolyn had once again made Dinah a promise she sincerely hoped she could keep. She reminded Dinah how much Barbara and Helena needed her and that had been all it had took. Carolyn had been so proud of Dinah at that moment. It took amazing strength to do what she'd done then – left her mother behind in order to save the rest of her family. Carolyn knew how difficult that decision had been – as difficult as it had been to leave her only daughter behind in hopes of protecting her from Carolyn's enemies.

Once the Hummer was out of site, Carolyn had turned around and raced back to the warehouse, determined to finish what they had set out to do and keep her promise to Dinah. She owed her as much.

Returning to the scene of her destructive force, Carolyn had stared at the door separating her from Batman and the Joker. The room before her was as silent as when she had left. Carolyn had stepped toward the door and listened intently. Hearing nothing, she had become worried and decided Batman had had enough alone time with the Joker. She'd kicked the door open with enough force to knock it clear off its hinges.

When the dust had cleared, it revealed a scene that brought dread to Carolyn's heart. A black clad figure stood in the center of the room, head down, shoulders slumped. Before him lay the inert form of his nemesis. The room itself had resembled a train wreck – broken furniture, cracked plaster, and most importantly, a large quantity of blood.

Carolyn had struggled to find her voice. For someone who had always been decisive and sure, Carolyn had now found herself fraught with uncertainty and indecision. Unable to take her eyes off of the body lying at Batman's feet, Carolyn had stood frozen, unwilling to believe the scene before her. Better to believe that she had been knocked unconscious during that fight with the Joker's henchmen than to believe that Batman had violated his own credo.

Batman had sighed then and slowly turned to face Carolyn. He kept his eyes down, seemingly unable to meet Carolyn's unbelieving gaze. The costume had done nothing to hide the sense of defeat he carried or the fatigue that coursed through his body, the result of both physical and emotional strain. With much effort, he had reached for his utility belt then, preparing to send the signal that would let Reese know it was time to bring in the clean-up crew.

And that was when the Joker had let out the tiniest of moans. Carolyn's jaw had dropped then – she had honestly believed the Joker was dead. She looked from the Joker to Batman and now was able to recognize the sense of defeat for what it was.

As shocking as it would have been, no one would have condemned Batman had he actually killed the Joker. No sane individual could blame Batman for taking final action against a man who had stopped at nothing in his attempt to destroy all those Batman held dear. But the moral code that Batman had adhered to his entire crime fighting career refused to allow him this one release. And so, the Joker remained alive.

_Though he probably wishes he was dead about now._

Carolyn smirked wryly at the thought. She was jerked out of her reverie by Dinah, who was fervently signaling for her mother to join her. Hurrying to Barbara's bedside, Carolyn now understood why Dinah had become so agitated. Barbara's eyelids were fluttering, flicking slightly open and then closing, as if keeping them open took great effort.

"Barbara?"

Dinah was worried. Despite all the reassurance the doctors had offered, there was always the chance that whatever torture the Joker and Harley had inflicted on Barbara Gordon could have caused permanent damage.

As her vision cleared, Barbara found she could not believe her eyes. She had to be dreaming. The vision before her was all too inviting – Dinah and her mother alive and reunited. Impossible. Carolyn had died at the hands of Al Hawke and Dinah... Tears came to her eyes as she thought of the torture Dinah must have suffered at the hands of the Joker.

"Hey...Barbara...hey...it's okay." Dinah tried to console Barbara, but the woman tried ineffectually to push her away. Then realization hit her. "Barbara, it's me, Dinah. I'm okay. It's over...It's all over."

"Dinah?...It's not...a...a dream?"

To say that Barbara's voice sounded hopeful would be to understate the emotional turmoil she was experiencing at discovering that Dinah might actually be alive and seated before her. She was more than hopeful – she was actually pleading for it all to be real.

"No...it's not a dream." Tears were coursing down Dinah's face as she spoke, reassuring the woman who had become such an important part of her life. "It's really me."

"They told me..." Barbara couldn't complete the sentence. She looked again at Carolyn, whose presence spoke against everything Dinah was telling her. The woman had been long dead – killed in the very same warehouse fire that had left Al Hawke disfigured. She frowned.

_But they had never actually recovered a body,_ she thought.

Then another thought struck her and she looked to Dinah with eyes that begged affirmation.

"Then Helena...in the warehouse...that was real?"

Dinah nodded affirmation.

Barbara lost what precious little control she had over her emotions. She dissolved in a torrent of tears, wracked by heart-wrenching sobs as the stress and pain of the past few days finally took their toll. Dinah held Barbara close as she cried.

"They...told...me...you...both...of...you...dead..."

Carolyn felt tears sting her eyes as she watched her daughter comfort the woman who had become Dinah's surrogate mother in her absence. And although there was a part of her that envied the bond they shared, a part of her was happy that Dinah had found the family she had sought after ever since Carolyn had been forced to leave her. And still another part of her was hopeful that some day, the same bond would once again be forged between mother and daughter.

When her tears were spent, Barbara leaned back against her pillow, fighting against the exhaustion that now threatened to overcome her. The analytical part of her wanted answers and she refused to let herself rest until she had them. Dinah and Carolyn did their best to satiate Barbara's thirst for knowledge until her lids grew so heavy that she could no longer fight them.

Dinah sat at the edge of Barbara's bed for several minutes, protectively watching the mentor-turned-family as she slept. Carolyn stood beside her, a comforting hand resting on her daughter's shoulder. Finally, Carolyn took Dinah's hand and nodded her head toward the door. Dinah reluctantly stood and the two made their way across the room.

Shutting the door behind her, Carolyn turned to face Dinah. No words were spoken. None were needed. Carolyn reached for Dinah and she came willingly, resting her head on her mother's shoulder and relieving herself of all the anxiety and pent-up emotions she'd been struggling with since the night of the warehouse rescue.

Barbara's recovery was swift. So swift, in fact, that Dinah found it necessary to tease Helena about it. Barbara was up and around in a couple of days. Helena's doctors' orders required bed rest for a week or more. Carolyn found it all quite amusing.

Not so amusing was Helena's reaction to finding out that the Joker was still alive or that Batman had once again left Gotham. Helena was furious. The fact that she herself had spared Harley Quinn's life was of little concern. Once again her father had failed her, sparing the life of someone who had very nearly destroyed everyone Helena had ever loved. To her, the crime fighter's credo did not apply where the Joker was concerned and it never would.

Barbara was of the opinion that Helena was more upset over her father's departure. Although grateful that he had come to Helena's rescue and had devised a plan for her own, Barbara still couldn't help feeling disappointed at the man who had once been her mentor. Carolyn, however, thought she understood.

It was the sense of defeat - the weariness that never seemed to leave Bruce even after they had returned to the mansion victorious – that had driven him to leave again. She tried to explain what she had seen in the warehouse prior to calling in Detective Reese and his clean-up crew. But Helena was too stubborn to listen and Barbara was similarly resistant. Carolyn wondered if Barbara and Helena knew just how much alike the two of them were. Dinah refused to discuss the matter, citing that she had never had a high opinion of the man and this had done nothing to improve matters. Carolyn made a mental note to find out just why Dinah harbored so much ill feeling toward her friend.

The note Bruce had left behind sounded more like a business memo than a letter of explanation to family and friends. It had been found by Alfred, slipped under his door the night Barbara regained consciousness. Perhaps he found himself unable to face his protégé after coming so close to violating the credo he had so diligently taught her. The note didn't explain this, only that he had urgent business to attend to elsewhere – no mention of where...no mention of whether he would return.

Alfred eased back into the lounge chair and sighed. It had been a trying couple of weeks and he was exhausted. As he dozed in the chair, warmed by the heat of the fireplace, Alfred dreamed of Bruce Wayne's last night at the manner.

_I failed them, Alfred. I couldn't do it. I wanted to...but..._

_Killing the Joker would have gone against all you believed in, Master Bruce. You failed no one._

_I swore I would never fail them again._

_And you didn't. You saved Miss Barbara and both the Joker and Harley are locked away._

_For how long?...Dammit, Alfred. I hate what I've become and yet...I don't know how to be anyone else. I want to get to know my daughter and at the same time I'm terrified at the prospect. I look at Barbara and I just feel guilt...guilt at bringing her into all of this...guilt at what the Joker has done to her. I don't know how to deal with that._

_What are you planning to do?_

_I have to leave...for now anyway...I have to get things sorted out._

_You're going to disappear again without so much as a word to the others?_

_I'll leave a note._

One portion of that conversation stayed with Alfred upon awakening – _I have to leave...for now anyway._ A grin spread across his features at his discovery. Master Bruce had said he was leaving "for now". The words implied that he expected to return. Rising from the chair, Alfred doused the flame in the fireplace and headed to his quarters humming slightly to himself.


End file.
